A Labour frontbencher branded George Galloway’s pledge to oust Angela Rayner as “bizarre” during an appearance on BBC Question Time.
The left-wing firebrand, who returned to Parliament this week, declared that he will target the deputy Labour leader’s seat at the next general election.
But Nick Thomas-Symonds lashed out at the Workers Party of Britain leader as the panel show debated whether Labour should be worried about his comeback.
The Labour MP said: “It’s bizarre isn’t it because if that’s what his position is what he’s in effect saying is he wants the Conservative Government to continue which I think is just a bizarre position.
“We won’t be concerning ourselves with as I say particular attacks in that way.
“Angela Rayner by the way, absolutely brilliant deputy leader and MP, will be campaigning in a positive strong way.”
Mr Galloway, a former Labour MP, returned to the House of Commons on Monday after winning the Rochdale by-election with a campaign heavily focused on Gaza.
Speaking on his first day back, he vowed his party would cause havoc for Sir Keir Starmer at the next election in fury at his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Mr Galloway singled out Ms Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne, where she has a majority of 4,263, as one he has set his sights on.
He said: “There’s at least 15,000 supporters of my point of view in her constituency.
“So we’ll be putting a candidate up against her, either a Workers Party candidate or more likely an independent candidate that we support, and that will vitally affect the election of the deputy leader.
“And there are many constituencies in London, from Ilford to Bethnal Green in the heart of the City of London, in Birmingham, in other parts of the West Midlands, in north-west England, in the towns around Rochdale, Oldham, Blackburn, Burnley, Nelson, Bury.
“We’ll be putting candidates up in all these places and we will either win or we will make sure that Keir Starmer doesn’t.”
