GEORGE Galloway is to seek a return to Westminster by throwing his hat in the ring to succeed Sir Gerald Kaufman as the MP for Manchester Gorton.

The former Labour and Respect politician will stand as an Independent candidate in the upcoming by-election triggered by the long-serving MP's death in February. The date of the poll is still to be fixed but speculation is growing that it might take place on May 4, the same day as the local council elections.

The inner city seat contains large Asian, Muslim, African and Irish populations. It is also home to a large student contingent.

Announcing his candidacy on the Westmonster website, the 62-year-old Scot said that ousting Labour from a stronghold which it had held since 1935 and had won in 2015 by a margin of more than 24,000 votes would be "the mother of all by-election victories".

He denounced Labour's shortlist of five ethnic minority contenders to be its candidate as an "insult" to the local community, claiming it had been engineered by National Executive Committee member Keith Vaz, who sits on the selection panel for the constituency.

"The 'All-Asian short-list' hand-picked by Keith Vaz is just not good enough for the people of Gorton, one of the most deprived constituencies in Britain," declared Mr Galloway.

"The short-listing, which excluded many better candidates, is the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities."

Sir Gerald won the seat in 2015 with 67 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Greens with 9.8 per cent, the Conservatives with 9.7 and Ukip with 8.2.

Such a majority for Labour would in normal times make the seat impregnable. But given the internal strife currently gripping Jeremy Corbyn’s party and the backdrop of Brexit, then other parties will be pouring in a lot of resources to win the traditionally Labour seat. By standing, Mr Galloway, a left-winger, can only split Labour’s vote.

The Liberal Democrats, who came second in 2010 with 32 per cent of the vote, polled just four per cent the last time round as Gorton’s student population punished them after the term of the Lib-Con Coalition Government and the party’s U-turn on its promise to scrap tuition fees.

But Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, told The Herald at the weekend during his party's spring conference that he believed his party was winning favour again with young people because of its clear stance in supporting Remain in the EU referendum and its policy of calling for another vote on the final Brexit deal.

He claimed Mr Galloway's candidacy would boost his party's chances by taking votes from Labour. He argued the pro-Brexit former MP could not win in a seat, which voted by 62 per cent to remain in the EU.

"His decision to enter the race is yet another consequence of the chronic splits and weak leadership in the Labour Party," declared Mr Farron, adding: "People in Manchester want change, they deserve better than a failed politician and a failing Labour Party."

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Greens, said: "George Galloway is a burnt-out Brexiteer who offers nothing but an overinflated ego to the people of Manchester Gorton.

"Of course, people want a real alternative to the status quo; that's why the Green Party polled second in Gorton last time and why we got more than five times more votes than him in the London mayoral election."

Mr Galloway was a Labour MP in Glasgow seats from 1987 until his expulsion from Labour in 2003, later serving as Respect MP for Glasgow Kelvin until 2005, for Bethnal Green and Bow from 2005 until 2010 and for Bradford West from 2012 until 2015.