George Galloway has promised to showcase the “great city of Bradford” in an attempt to end the district’s second ranking status to Leeds.

The newly-elected Bradford West MP said that in the 1960s Bradford was easily comparable to Leeds but now Bradford was “bitterly sinking into a blackhole” in comparison to the progress being made by its neighbour.

Yesterday he was sworn into Parliament and said problems across the district were his number one priority.

He said: “In me Bradford will experience a strong voice, attention to Bradford and experienced arguments against Government and me pushing for a change of course against the austerity agenda.

“It is a great city and I will showcase its many fine points. My voice will be heard and I expect to be speaking every week. When I am not speaking I will be writing letters.

“I have been in politics a long time.”

Mr Galloway said since he had been elected the “Bradford Bulls have won four games in a row and Bradford City Football Club has won”.

He told the Telegraph & Argus his first job was to get answers over the fate of the former Odeon building. He has written to the Prime Minister asking for a meeting and wants answers from the proposed developers and the Bradford Council.

He said: “What’s going on is more opaque and shrouded in mystery than the acres of plastic sheeting now covering the building. The developers and the Council need to level with me and the Bradford public about the future of this grand building because, frankly, everyone has lost faith in them to deliver both the project and the truth.”

The Bradford West MP, who overturned a Labour majority to storm home with a 10,000-vote lead in last month’s by-election, claimed voters were “alienated and discontented”.

He said: “It is good to be back but I’m just the advance party.

“There’s an army mustering in the North and in the great industrial and post-industrial cities of this country, an army of discontented, alienated people who feel that this place has let them down, it has failed the country and it has failed the people.”

Mr Galloway was flanked by Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe and the Father of the House, Tory MP Sir Peter Tapsell, as he entered the Commons Chamber to be sworn in.