AFTER the indignities of Celebrity Big Brother — who could forget the sight of the member for Bethnal Green & Bow in a figure-hugging red leotard? — the Westminster press conference billed as “urgent” was to be George Galloway’s political comeback.

His constituents in East London have been anxiously awaiting the restoration of their MP’s credibility.

So what would it be? News on the scandalously delayed rebuilding of the Royal London Hospital? An employment boost for this poverty-stricken corner of the inner-city? A relocation of the 2012 Olympic Stadium to Stepney Green?

Er, not quite.

The Respect MP’s big news, revealed yesterday, was the exposé of a Sunday newspaper reporter who specialises in exposés.

With his usual flair for the dramatic, Mr Galloway chose to publicly unmask Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World’s “fake sheikh” who delights in stinging the foolish, greedy and crooked.

Mahmood, 43, has embarrassed Sven-Göran Eriksson, Princess Michael of Kent, the Countess of Wessex, Carole Caplin and countless lesser-known folk in a long tabloid career.

But, until Mr Galloway published it yesterday, his picture had never been seen.

Mahmood’s newspaper, which, like The Times, is part of the News International group, chooses to by-line his stories with a silhouette image. Mahmood’s life, the paper says, has been threatened because he has put more than 130 criminals behind bars. His anonymity is key to his success.

Mr Galloway sought to end all that by releasing two pictures of Mahmood that he has also published on the internet, distributed to MPs and peers and sent to the Queen’s private secretary, asking for it to be passed on to all members of the Royal Household who might become one of Mahmood’s victims.

One picture shows Mahmood in flowing Arab robes and red headscarf, the second is from a Czech passport that Mr Galloway claims is an illegal document. He has reported the matter to the Czech authorities.

The MP’s ire was raised last week when Mahmood, posing as an Indian businessman who wished to fund Respect, tried to trick him over a long and expensive dinner at the Dorchester hotel.

According to Mr Galloway, the reporter tried to entice him into illegal activity — accepting funds from overseas — and made anti-Semitic remarks hoping that Mr Galloway would endorse them.

The Respect leader has reported the matters to Scotland Yard, which says that his complaint will be reviewed by its Specialist Crime Directorate.

“He didn’t fool me,” smirked Mr Galloway, who says he sidestepped the trap because he has a “well-honed sense for rats”.

Of course he could smell a rodent. After all, this is the man whose feline frolics — the miaowing, purring and cream-licking on Big Brother — brought his political message to a whole new audience.

This was also the MP who was on to Saddam Hussein and spotted his “courage, strength and indefatigability” well before anyone else.

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