Few British politicians have generated quite as much controversy over so many years as George Galloway.
With his high-octane oratory and a penchant for snazzy suits and Cuban cigars, “Gorgeous George” has never been far from the limelight.
He has appeared before the US Senate to deny claims of trading in Iraqi oil and been mocked after a bizarre appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in which he dressed up in a leotard and mimed a cat.
His career has largely been defined by his ferocious opposition to British and American policies in the Middle East and his championing of Palestinian rights.
One of his first political campaigns as a youthful Labour Party activist was to press for his home town of Dundee to be twinned with Nablus on the Palestinian West Bank.
He first entered parliament in 1987 as a Labour MP after defeating the SDP’s Roy Jenkins in Glasgow Hillhead, and his high-profile activism quickly gained him a reputation as a thorn in the side of the party leadership.
He was widely criticised over a 1994 visit to Iraq when he was filmed apparently praising Saddam Hussein for his courage, strength and indefatigability – although he always insisted his comments were addressed to the Iraqi people.
His outspoken opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq finally brought his long-running feud to with the Labour hierarchy to a head.
He was expelled from the party after accusing Tony Blair and George Bush of acting “like wolves” and urging British troops to disobey their “illegal“ orders.
He fought back, however, standing against Labour MP Oona King in Bethnal Green and Bow in the 2005 general election and over-turning a 10,000 majority with a campaign aimed at the East London constituency’s Bangladeshi community.
He lost the seat in 2010, only to make an even more remarkable comeback two years later taking Bradford West from Labour in a by-election, after again targeting the seat’s largely Asian and Muslim communities.