WHEN George Galloway was elected in May last year he was carried aloft by jubilant voters in the East End of London. There will be no such celebrations when he returns to his flat off Brick Lane after being evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house last night.

Mr Galloway’s constituents said yesterday that they felt let down by a politician who had promised them so much.

The Respect MP’s fierce opposition to the war in Iraq won him the support of many of the 45,000 Muslim residents of Bethnal Green & Bow and his narrow victory over the Labour MP Oona King was one of the shocks of the 2005 general election.

But Mr Galloway’s decision to appear on Celebrity Big Brother has baffled and angered many of the Muslims who supported him.

And television footage that has emerged of him laughing and joking with Saddam Hussein’s son, Uday, during a visit to Iraq in 1999 has not helped his case. During a 20-minute meeting with the alleged mass murderer and rapist nicknamed The Wolf, Mr Galloway joked about losing weight and going bald and discussed his love of Havana cigars.

In Whitechapel residents told The Times that, if given the chance, they would not re-elect him.

Shaz Ahmed, 24, of Shadwell, said: “I feel I have wasted my vote because I did vote for him, for a change. I thought he would stand up for us but it seems it’s not happening that way.” Mr Ahmed, who is unemployed, was disappointed that Mr Galloway had missed a crucial debate on the Crossrail transport scheme.

“George Galloway should be at the forefront of the campaign against Crossrail,” he said. “I feel bitter that he missed the vote. This is the area that supported his campaign. If Crossrail goes ahead, that will damage our community. A lot of people work here. A lot of businesses will be shut. He should (have been) out here standing up for these people.”

Others who voted for Mr Galloway said that they had believed that he would stand up for Muslims but now doubted his commitment. Memethur Rahman, 31, who is self-employed, said: “He’s not doing anything for the area. I shouldn’t have voted for him. I thought he was going to fight for Muslim people. I’m not going to vote for him next time. I think Labour should come back.”

Ms King, who happened to be in Whitechapel, was reluctant to comment. But she did say: “George Galloway is quite capable of hanging himself. He doesn’t need my help.”

A former supporter, who canvassed for the Respect party, said that voters regretted their decision to support Mr Galloway. Akik, a 27-year-old charity worker from Stepney, said that he had cancelled his membership of Respect after Mr Galloway entered the Big Brother house.

“He was elected to represent us and if he’s not there voting then he’s not representing us. That’s why Oona King went — because she didn’t represent us. I think what he’s achieved is notoriety for himself.”

He added: “If Respect had a good tenure, it would have motivated other communities to go for independent parties.

“Instead, people will see what happens when you take a chance. They will go back to the blue and red parties. It’s an opportunity that’s been missed.”

LOCAL CONCERNS

Health

The redevelopment of the Royal London and St Bartholomew’s hospitals has been halted over costs. Doctors wrote to The Times protesting at the Government’s threat to the rebuilding programme, but the local MP has been unaware of the crisis

Transport

Mr Galloway’s constituents oppose the Crossrail scheme to link East London with Heathrow but he was in the Big Brother House when MPs debated the project

Equality

MPs debated the Equality Bill. Mr Galloway’s constituency is one of the poorest in Britain and 50 per cent of the population comes from ethnic and religious minority groups

War

He won his seat with an anti-war agenda that appealed to Muslim voters. When US jets bombed a Pakistani village killing 18 people, the MP was doing a reality TV show

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