Workers Party launches Blackburn General Election campaign

The Workers Party of Britain hosted the official launch of its campaign at the Audley Centre in Chester Street at the weekend.

Around 80 people turned out at the event on Sunday where speakers spoke passionately about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Craig Murray, a former British diplomat said he would be standing for the people of Palestine, an issue he had been campaigning about for many years.

He said: “The Worker’s Party have a wonderful manifesto and they have policies the Labour Party have abandoned.

Craig Murray speaking at the event (Image: Nq)

“They have policies on the nationalisation of utility companies. They have policies on tuition fees. They have policies on the national health service.”

Meanwhile, Mr Galloway called on Muslim voters in the town to "redeem themselves".

He told the audience he watched in horror as Muslim politicians had lifted ‘Jack Straw on their shoulders’ during the 2005 general election, referring to the Iraq War.

Mr Straw was foreign secretary when the war began and won the election comfortably against Craig Murray.

Attendees asked questions of Mr Murray (Image: Nq)

He said: “The worst memory I have of Blackburn was the sight of Muslims carrying Jack Straw on their shoulders in victory in 2005.

“Some of those are still alive and still involved in the politics of making sure that the power stays in power.”

On his party's candidate for Blackburn, Mr Galloway said: “Craig Murray’s address shows you a clarity of thinking. The kind of influence – not just in Britain, but across the world.

“His writings were on the desk of the South African legal team which put Israel on trial for genocide.”

In the past week a tit-for-tat row has broken out Mr Murray as several candidates announcing intention to stand as Independents.

The issue was brought up several times at the launch.

An audience member asked Mr Murray if he would be willing to sit down with other Independent candidates as part of a ‘hustings type’ event to which he agreed.

He is one of a number of candidates running in Blackburn primarily focused on the conflict in Gaza.

Mr Murray said: “It was something I suggested.”

He said: “Because I stood here before when the terrible genocide was in full flow and the Labour Party… was effectively supporting it, I thought to stand here again.

“I said I would only do it if the people in Blackburn asked me to.”

The Workers Party is putting up 326 candidates across the country.

Shanaz Saddique who is the candidate for the Worker’s Party for the Oldham and Saddleworth constituency also spoke at the event.

The full list of candidates standing in Blackburn so far is: Kate Hollern, Labour; Jamie McGowan, Conservatives; Adam Waller-Slack, Liberal Democrats; Craig Murray, Workers Party of Britain; Tommy Temperley, Reform UK; Adnan Hussain, Independent; Altaf 'Tiger' Patel, Independent; Natasha Shah, Independent.