FORMER Bradford West MP George Galloway has announced that his party will be contesting the Batley and Spen by-election.

The election was triggered by the election of sitting Batley and Spen MP Tracey Brabin to the role of West Yorkshire Mayor.

All eyes will be on the election, after Labour lost its Hartlepool seat in a by-election earlier this month.

Galloway, who lost his Bradford West seat to Labour candidate Naz Shah at the 2015 election, now leads the Workers Party GB.

In a Tweet the day after Mrs Brabin's election win Galloway Tweeted "The Workers Party GB will be contesting the Batley and Spen parliamentary by-election as the patriotic working-class alternative to #StarmerMustGo.

"We fought for Brexit we fought for the Union.

"We will fight to unite all communities, for the working people of all backgrounds."

The former Labour MP won the Bradford West seat in a by-election in 2012, when he stood as a candidate for the Respect Party.

Mr Galloway, also a former Celebrity Big Brother star, hopes that by standing in the Batley and Spen by-election his party could hoover up the pro-Leave votes as well as those of disaffected Labour members unhappy with Kier Starmer's leadership.

He followed up his announcement by saying : "I’m getting a lot of 'they’ll just take votes from Labour.'

"A polite reminder: it is my job to take votes from Labour! I’m the leader of Workers Party of Britain.

"We are the working-class patriotic alternative to fake woke anti-British 'Labour.'"

No candidates for the by-elections have been announced yet.