Ex-England cricketer Monty Panesar unexpectedly drops plans to stand at election for George Galloway's party

"So today I am withdrawing as a General Election candidate for The Workers Party.

"I now want to do my bit to help others but I recognise I am at the beginning of my journey and still learning about how politics can help people.

"I realise I need more time to listen, learn and find my political home, one that aligns with my personal and political values."

He announced his intention to stand as a candidate last week, saying he wanted to "represent the working class people of this country" in Parliament.

He was one of dozens of Workers Party candidates unveiled by Galloway in Parliament Square last week.

Galloway, who was elected as the MP for Rochdale at a by-election earlier this year, claimed his fledgling party had already selected 500 general election candidates.

Panesar had been aiming to beat Labour's Virendra Sharma at the general election.

The MP has a 16,000 majority in Ealing Southall, in West London.

Addressing the public from Parliament Square, Panesar had said he wanted to "give something back" to working class people who had supported him in his cricket career.

He also said he aimed to "make sure the gap between rich and poor gets closer".

Galloway has described Labour as his party's "number one enemy because we seek to replace them".

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He said last week: "We will have the same impact on Labour that [Nigel] Farage and the Reform party are likely to have on the Conservatives.

"We will win seats, but in potentially hundreds of seats, we will materially affect the results."