MAVERICK MP George Galloway promised to take the fight to Labour's heartland as he arrived in the North-East last night to launch a nationwide tour.

The Respect MP, whose victory in the London seat of Bethnal Green and Bow was one of the biggest upsets of last month's General Election, said he aimed to bring hope to traditional Labour voters who felt betrayed by Tony Blair.

He said: "The vast majority of people who live in this heartland want Labour values - and New Labour has murdered those values.

"It is our case that every country needs a Labour party and a place like the North-East needs a Labour party and it doesn't have one."

Mr Galloway - nicknamed "Gorgeous George" - who was expelled from Labour in 2003 over allegations he had encouraged British soldiers to disobey orders, said Mr Blair had lost three million Labour voters in eight years and party membership had halved under his leadership.

Launching his nationwide "Audience With..." tour with a sell-out appearance at the Customs House, in South Shields, last night, he said: "The reason we started here is precisely because it is a Labour heartland and because we're the ghost of Labour's past.

"We're standing for the things Labour used to stand for and we're representing the people Labour has abandoned or betrayed."

He said Respect aimed to stand in hundreds of local council seats in next year's elections. Support for the party, born out of the anti-war movement but now a left-wing party, had been growing since his victory last month, he said.

His appearance in front of a committee of the US Senate last month, when he robustly defended himself against allegations he had been given oil credits by Saddam Hussein, has prompted him to arrange a speaking tour of the US following his tour of Britain, which also takes in the Glastonbury festival this weekend.

He returns to the North-East next week for a Respect rally in the Tyne Theatre on Thursday.

* Read a full interview with George Galloway in The Northern Echo next week.