Galloway tells Russian TV of his London Mayor hopes

The firebrand Respect MP told a foreign television channel he would “like to fight Boris Johnson” when the capital next votes for a new Mayor in 2016.

Mr Galloway became the MP for Bradford West following a shock by-election victory last year, overturning a huge Labour majority to win by a landslide.

But in an interview with Russia Today, he cast doubt over whether he intends to remain a West Yorkshire MP in the long term.

“I have a committee which is seriously looking at the prospect of (me) running for Mayor of London at the next election,” Mr Galloway said.

“I’d like to fight Boris Johnson... and I think David Cameron probably wishes I’d be fighting Boris Johnson, because if I’m not, Boris Johnson is back in Parliament fighting him.”

Mr Johnson is not expected to run for a third term as Mayor of London in 2016, and Mr Galloway’s party later tried to play down his comments, suggesting he was not being entirely serious.

But Labour politicians in Bradford seized upon them as further evidence of what they perceive to be a lack of commitment to the city from the maverick MP.

Bradford West councillor Shakeela Lal said: “He’s only been an MP here just over a year, but already George Galloway is bored of Bradford and looking for his next challenge.

“He’s more interested in running for Mayor of London than standing up for his constituents.

“We hardly ever see Mr Galloway in Bradford anyway, so this hardly comes as a surprise.”

Mr Galloway has drawn criticism from MPs for his performance as an MP since being elected.

In March the Yorkshire Post revealed the left-winger had missed 87 per cent of all Commons votes in his first year as an MP, and spoken only seven times.

A spokesman for Respect insisted then that attendance in the Commons is “not the way of judging how hard an MP works.”