What George Galloway neglected to mention in Syria debate a figure of £51,000

George Galloway, the Respect MP, has lately made more than £50,000 from Al-Mayadeen TV, which is said to be supportive of President Assad's regime.

George Galloway was quick to rise to his feet during the Commons debate on Syria to pour scorn on the notion that President Assad would be “mad enough” to launch a chemical attack in Damascus on the day that the United Nations inspection team had arrived in the city.

The Respect MP had earlier rehearsed a conspiracy theory that was so insane and outlandish even by his standards: that it was al-Qaeda which had been responsible for using the chemical weapons, after being given them by Israel, who wanted the international community to be provoked into “the final destruction of Syria”.

What the colourful former Celebrity BigBrother contestant and well known anti Israel activist neglected to mention during his rare visit to the Commons last week was that he has lately pocketed £51,000 in cash – plus expenses for flights and hotel stays – from Al Mayadeen, a mysterious television station based in Beirut that has been linked to Assad and is certainly supportive of him.

This month, “Gorgeous George” admitted in the Register of Members’ Interests that he had received £6,000 and the cost of return flights between London and Beirut from the television station to record two programmes in July. A further eight entries dating back to June 2012 – normally of £6,000 a time – account for the rest of the sum.

Al Mayadeen TV refuses to divulge the identity of its backers, but there have been reports that it is funded by Iran and has links to a cousin of Assad. It has been alleged that its head of news is married to a former adviser to Assad, and that its general manager was previously head of Al-Manar, the broadcaster affiliated to Hizbollah. Joe Khalil, the author of a book about television in the Arab world, says the station is undoubtedly supportive of the Assad regime.

“Given that they’re in such a dire situation, it’s unlikely that the Syrian regime has put money into the station, but they’re definitely getting [the station’s] support,” he says. “Al Mayadeen does not shy away from saying that they stand with anyone who is against Israel.”

The university professor adds that the television station treats Galloway like a superstar. “He is the perfect fit for Al Mayadeen. He was on Arab television during every single uprising, war, and he came out very forcefully against Israel.”

Galloway, for his part, tells me: “I have no evidence that the channel supports President Assad’s regime... and the management has never tried to influence me editorially.” He was unable to disclose the identity of the owners of the channel.

Henry Smith, the Conservative MP for Crawley, has his concerns, however, about how Galloway’s payments might look. “Whatever our views on Syria, MPs should speak for their constituents first, not anyone else,” he says.