George Galloway stopped by counter-terror police at Gatwick, released without charge

George Galloway, the Workers Party of Britain’s leader, and his wife, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, were stopped by counter-terrorism officers at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. Police said neither person was arrested and both were allowed to continue their journey.

Under Schedule 3, officers can stop, question, search and detain a person at a port or border area to determine whether they have engaged in hostile activity. Detainees can be required to provide information, including passwords to devices, though officials did not confirm whether such a request was made in this case. The Workers Party of Britain said the detentions occurred after Galloway and his wife had returned to the United Kingdom from Moscow via Abu Dhabi.

In a statement issued later by the WPB, the party said Galloway, 71, and his wife had been released without charge and that “there was never any chance of an offence.” It accused authorities of using the incident to intimidate political opponents of what it described as a drive toward war with Russia and China.

Galloway, a longtime British politician and broadcaster, has a long political trajectory. He was a Labour MP until 2003, then sat as an independent and later as a Respect Party MP for three constituencies between 2003 and 2015. In March 2024 he became the WPB’s first MP after winning a Rochdale by-election, before losing the seat in the following general election.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the stop at Gatwick was conducted under Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, a provision that allows officers to stop individuals at border or port areas if they are assessing potential hostile activity. The force said the two people were not arrested and were permitted to move on.