Interpretation. But nonetheless, its because of the withdrawal of the official Labour Candidate that weve seen George Galloway be able to come in and, as i say, we assume win tonight. D0 to come in and, as i say, we assume win tonight win tonight. Do you think, as we look ahead win tonight. Do you think, as we look ahead to win tonight. Do you think, as we look ahead to a win tonight. Do you think, as we look ahead to a general win tonight. Do you think, as we | look ahead to a General Election, there is going to be a lot more scrutiny on the candidates put forward, approximate particularly with the era of social media were in and all of the vitriol that you see flying around on social media . Its a really good question, whether its its a really good question, whether its social media or whether its camera phones, the world of technology has changed and the degree of Public Scrutiny to which our candidates and elected officials are subjected to. And of course were now entering a stage where some of the candidates who will be standing at the next General Election will have been spending their entire lives online and people will be able to go back to tweets that people sent perhaps when they were at university or school even and scrutinise their views and beliefs then. Now, in this particular instance, it wasnt historical comments that were made. These were recent comments made by the Labour Candidate that proved to be so damaging, but it does emphasise the difficulty that all parties face in selecting candidates and conducting due diligence. If its difficult new enough to do that for one candidate at a by election, imagine how difficult it is to do for over 600 candidates in the run up to a General Election. Haw runup to a General Election. How hard is it for runup to a General Election. How hard is it for the run up to a General Election. How hard is it for the Political Parties to cut through with the message that they want to hear over all of that noise that is no on social media . Well, its very much a challenge for both the individuals themselves and the parties to cut through. In fact, this is one of the main difficulties that our polls have shown the conservatives have had, particularly when it comes to their economic policies. All the announcements that were made in the last nine months for instance whether its were made in the last nine months for instance whether its policy announcement, whether its photocalls wearing hard hats in factories, or whether its Something Like the Autumn Statement up in this week, over the last nine months, theres been very little change in the percentage of people who think that the conservatives are best on the economy. Statistically, its been flat for nine months because they havent been able to cut through. And i think thats less to do with social media, though, and more to do with the ability of the party themselves to connect with voters. But the challenge that all parties will face going into the next election is the question of connecting, connecting with voters up connecting, connecting with voters up and down the country on local issues, on National Issues and interNational Issues. That will and be a challenge for all of the parties. Be a challenge for all of the arties. � ,. ,. , be a challenge for all of the arties. � ,. ,. ,. , parties. Its going to be a fascinating parties. Its going to be a fascinating general parties. Its going to be a i fascinating General Election parties. Its going to be a fascinating General Election this time around because of all of the things youve said and also, if we look at social media and the disinformation thats there, the ai generated things that are already flying around on social media, that will play a part in this General Election that we really havent seen in this country before. In this country before. Yes. Thats ri. Ht. In this country before. Yes. Thats right weve in this country before. Yes. Thats right. Weve had in this country before. Yes. Thats right. Weve had a in this country before. Yes. Thats right. Weve had a small in this country before. Yes. Thats right. Weve had a small inkling. In this country before. Yes. Thats| right. Weve had a small inkling of it with and the deep fake Voice Message from sadiq khan, where a fake voice or actor or ai generated were not sure, i dont think what it was but anyway it pretended to be sadiq khan, saying that the Armistice Day parade was not important and that the protests for palestinians should take priority. That was not true. Im palestinians should take priority. That was not true. That was not true. Im going to ause that was not true. Im going to pause you that was not true. Im going to pause you because that was not true. Im going to pause you because i that was not true. Im going to pause you because i want that was not true. Im going to pause you because i want to i that was not true. Im going to pause you because i want to explain that George Galloway, as you can see on your screen, has now arrived at the count. You can see him there in his hat, which hes worn a lot during this campaign in rochdale. You can see him there in the middle of your screen. His party, the Workers Party of britain, has already claimed that it has won this by election comfortably. His team are saying that his victory will represent a total rejection of Mainstream Party politics. And also theyre saying that not only do they believe that theyve won comfortably, but they think it will send shock waves their words through the palace of westminster. But also his team saying that it will give hope to Tens Of Thousands if, if not millions, of people in the country who are looking for a general alternative, because our democracy has been stolen from us. That is what George Galloway� s team are saying. You can see that he has arrived there at the count. This is what we were waiting for for him to arrive. So we probably think that, as he has arrived, that a declaration wont be too far away. You can see some of the other candidates there. I think that is probably the Monster Raving Loony Party there as well. There are 11 candidates in all standing in this rochdale by election which, of course, came about after the death of the veteran labour mp sir tony lloyd. He died on 17 january, just days after he had announced that he had an incurable form of leukaemia. He secured a majority of more than 9,000 back in the 2019 General Election. It will be interesting to see if George Galloway does win, as is being suggested, what his majority will be in this election. Weve got a turnout of nearly 40 in this election. In a General Election, it was 60 back in 2019. Of course, when there is a by election, you always have a lower turnout. Were going to stay on these pictures, but i want to bring joe back in. Joe, a sort of 39. 7 turnout thats about average, maybe a little higher for a by election . Maybe a little higher for a bitelection . Maybe a little higher for a byelection . Maybe a little higher for a b election . 3 ,. Byelection . Its pretty much bang on average byelection . Its pretty much bang on average for byelection . Its pretty much bang on average for the byelection . Its pretty much bang on average for the recent byelection . Its pretty much bang on average for the recent set byelection . Its pretty much bang on average for the recent set of. On average for the recent set of by elections, a little lower than we saw in kingswood and wellingborough sorry, a little higher than weve seenin sorry, a little higher than weve seen in those but a little lower than we saw towards the end of last year. But, as i say, around about average. So no indication that the endorsement of labour being removed from azhar ali has impacted on turnout there. Yeah. Absolutely. And if George Galloway if viewers are just joining us, we are sort of coming up to 2 a0 in the morning. We have been saying that George Galloway is confident of a victory here. Joe, if he did win, what would that mean for the other parties . And how big a win would it be . Would it be . Well, it would certainly would it be . Well, it would certainly be would it be . Well, it would certainly be an would it be . Well, it would certainly be an enormous, | would it be . Well, it would certainly be an enormous, enormous victory by Historical Standards in terms of collapse for the major parties. At the last General Election, labour, conservative and Liberal Democrat made up 90 of the votes in rochdale. A big fall there would be unprecedent id in Historical Standards. Of course, the situation in rochdale is very unusual and the circumstances of this particular by election are not what you would expect either at other by elections or a General Election. But nonetheless, the fact remains that would be a very big change and im sure the message of. The message that mainstream parties were unable for various reasons to connect with voters in rochdale is one that we will hear repeated Time And Again by mr galloway, his team and his supporters and, indeed, many of the other candidates over the next few weeks. Were going to stay on these pictures. You can see the candidates are all lined up there, which would suggest that theyve already do know what the result is. Because normally before you see them all lined up, the Election Officials will have told them whats already happened and what the result is. You saw George Galloway there being hugged in the centre of the screen. The other candidates, of course, this all. The reason its been quite chaotic is because, of course, azhar ali won the contest to be labours candidate, and appeared as their candidate, and appeared as their candidate on the ballot paper. But Labour Disowned and suspended him over remarks that were widely alleged to be anti semitic. He, himself, said sorry for what he had said, but this is the reason why the labour party have not campaigned hard in that area, because they withdrew support from their candidate, which, as we said, means that George Galloway has gone in. And he won, youll remember, the Bradford West By Election in 2012, another constituency which has a significant muslim population. Now, as weve been hearing through the evening, his critics accuse him of Stoking Division in towns that hes previously had hill to do with. In his campaign, it had a heavy focus, as weve been hearing, on the plight of the people in gaza, and he, himself, has said he offers a voice to people who otherwise wouldnt have one. He, of course, himself, is a former labour mp and respect mp. He has focused on the 30 of the community which is muslim. We heard earlierfrom richard tice, leader of reform uk which was the brexit party. Their candidate is simon danczuk. Now, he was actually the mp for rochdale until 2017. At that time, he was a labour mp but labour suspended him after he sent lewd texts to a 17 year old girl, for which he has apologised. During the campaign, he, in his campaigning, had said that it was a two horse race between him and George Galloway. It does now seem that an independent candidate, dave tully, is, if we. If the correspondents on the ground are hearing that he could come seconds, which would be unusual. When it comes to the conservatives, their canned date is called paul ellison. Hes a local businessman, a previous winner of rochdale man of the year, but he wasnt in rochdale for part of the run up to the by election, as he was on holiday. It has been a chaotic by election. The green party disowned the candidate they initially selected to fight the contest called Guy Otten Over remarks he made about the middle east on social media, making derogatory remarks about the muslim faith. The local party then backed independent mark coleman, a retired vicar and Just Stop Oil activist who was previouslyjailed for non violent direct action. He was given a suspended this week for causing a public nuisance by blocking traffic on the m25 in September 2021 as part of an insulate britain protest. So, all in all, this whole by election has had all, this whole by election has had a range of candidates, some with their issues. Weve had two whove been suspended by their party and, of course, it wouldnt be a british by election without also a monster raving loony candidate who has brought maybe some light relief to all of the campaigning that has been going on in rochdale over the last weeks. I know the Monster Raving Loony Party candidate, one of his Campaign Issues was the introduction of a 99p coin as well as for all roundabouts to have fair Ground Carousels in the middle. So weve had everything in this by election. Have you ever known, joe, a by election like this one . Ha. Have you ever known, joe, a byelection like this one . No. This is uniuue byelection like this one . No. This is unique by byelection like this one . No. This is unique by historical byelection like this one . No. This is unique by Historical Standards. L is unique by Historical Standards. There have been occasions where candidates have been disavowed by their party. For instance in 2019 at their party. For instance in 2019 at the General Election, both the conservatives and the snp disavoid their candidates and there have been by elections, as weve talked about, where insurgent candidates such as George Galloway and indeed on some occasions galloway himself, have entered the fray and done very well. And weve had occasions where former mps have stood under a different banner to run for a different party. But as anyone whos observed politics over the years will know, to get one of those is unusual. To get all three in one by election is unique. This is unprecedented times. So given the unprecedented circumstances, it is perhaps no surprise that the result may be unprecedented in terms of that collapse for the three main parties. Yeah. And how worried will the three main parties be about that collapse . Will they just say this was a one off unusual by election . Or will there be more concern . Oneoff unusual byelection . Or will there be more concern . Oneoff unusual byelection . Or will there be more concern . Well, i dont think the lib there be more concern . Well, i dont think the lib dems. There be more concern . Well, i dont think the lib dems. The there be more concern . Well, i dont think the lib dems. The returning l think the lib dems. The Returning Officer is coming think the lib dems. The Returning Officer is coming up. Think the lib dems. The Returning Officer is coming up. Lets think the lib dems. The Returning Officer is coming up. Lets have think the lib dems. The Returning Officer is coming up. Lets have a i officer is coming up. Lets have a listen. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your patience. Would the candidates join thank you for your patience. Would the Candidatesjoin Me On thank you for your patience. Would the candidates join me on the stage, please . G0 the candidates oin me on the stage, lease . ,. ,. , please . Go on, tully i please . Go on, tully i steve please . Go on, tully i steve rumbelo, please . Go on, tully l i steve rumbelo, being please . Go on, tully i steve rumbelo, being the please . Go on, tully i steve rumbelo, being the acting Returning Officer at the election of a Member Of Parliament for rochdale on 29 february, 2024, do hereby give notice that the number of votes recorded for each candidate is as follows azhar ali, labour party candidate, 2,402. Mark coleman, 455. Simon christopher danczuk, reform uk candidate, 1,968. Iain donaldson, Liberal Democrat candidate, 2,164. Applause paul simon ellison, the Conservative Party candidate, 3,731. Applause George Galloway, Workers Party of britain candidate, 12,. Cheering 12,335. Michael howarth, independent candidate, 246. Applause william howarth, independent candidate, 523