George Galloway ends interview over gay relationship comments

George Galloway ended a live radio interview after being challenged over the comments he made about gay relationships, dubbing them as not “normal”. 

The controversial Rochdale MP told Novara Media founder Aaron Bastani that he wouldn’t want children to be taught about LGBTQ+ people last week, but has since refused to discuss his seemingly homophobic comments. 

The leader of the Workers Party of Britain hung up on LBC’s Lewis Goodall on 5 May when asked about his views on gay relationships not being equal to heterosexual ones. 

Goodall played the clip on the radio show, when Galloway refused to take accountability for his comments, saying: “This is a clip of a clip. It is an edited clip of an edited clip.”

He then told the radio presenter that he “got this interview to talk about the election”, and that he was being “ambushed”. 

“More fool me thinking that your request that I come on and talk about the elections was genuine,” he said before swiftly hanging up the phone and ending the interview.

Galloway said in his previous comments on 1 May that he did not want children in the UK to be taught “some things are normal when their parents don’t believe that they’re normal”.

When asked to clarify his statement, the former Respect Party and Labour MP added: “Relations, that gay relationships are exactly the same and as normal as a mum, a dad and kids. I want my children to be taught that the normal thing in Britain, in society across the world, is a mother, a father and a family.”

Galloway went on to say he wants to teach his children that LGBTQ+ people exist and “must be treated with respect… but I don’t want my children to be taught that these things are equal because I don’t believe them to be equal”.

He said: “Three of my children go to a Catholic school in Scotland, so they have some protections for the moment.

“My other two school children are taught in England things that I don’t want them to be taught.”

He was elected as MP for Rochdale in February, following the death of Labour MP Tony Lloyd. 

His political views, particularly on trans people, immigration and Brexit, have been subject to backlash over the past few years.