Monty Panesar drops out of race for UK parliament

“I wish The Workers Party all the best, but I look forward to taking some time to mature and find my political feet so I am well-prepared to deliver my very best when I next run up to the political wicket,” he said in his statement.

A prominent anti-war politician and former Labour MP, Galloway was expelled from the party in 2003 over comments relating to the Iraq war.

Since then, he has twice ousted a Labour MP while standing for a third party. On both occasions, in Bethnal Green in London and in Bradford in northern England, he ran on campaigns focused on his opposition to the Iraq war.

While Panesar said his candidacy was driven by domestic issues, he faced extensive questioning about international policies during his week in the limelight, linking his party’s wish to leave NATO, a military alliance between the US and Europe, as a way to curb illegal immigration.

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He then confessed he was “not an expert on foreign policy” when questioned about Workers Party policies on Gaza.

In Australia, Panesar was best known for his rearguard batting with James Anderson at Cardiff in the 2009 Ashes, which helped England to draw the first Test of a series they went on to win 2-1.

He retired as England’s sixth-leading wicket-taker among spin bowlers and finished playing professionally in 2016.

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