Expelled Labour MP vows to stand as independent

REBEL MP George Galloway yesterday said he would stand against Labour as an independent after being thrown out of the party for his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq.

Labour's national executive committee found Mr Galloway guilty of four out of five charges brought against him by the party's leadership. He denounced the two-day hearing as a "political show trial" rigged in advance by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Galloway warned he may quit his seat to force a by-election in which he would challenge Labour as an independent candidate.