British MP George Galloway has said the assassination of British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be "morally justified" given his support for the war in Iraq.
George Galloway
The anti-war Respect MP said a suicide bomb attack on the prime minister would be "morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq as Blair did".
The controversial left-winger added that he was not calling for such an attack and that he would tip off the authorities if he knew of one.
But his remarks provoked a furious response, with one Labour MP calling him "disgraceful" and "twisted".
In an interview with GQmagazine, Mr Galloway was asked whether the assassination of Mr Blair by a suicide bomber would be justified, if there were no other casualties.
He replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it, but if it happened I believe it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7.
"It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq as Blair did."
Asked by interviewer Piers Morgan, a former editor of the Daily Mirror, whether he would alert the authorities to an attempt on the Prime Minister's life, Mr Galloway said he would.
He added: "Such an operation would be counter-productive because it would just generate a new wave of anti-Arab sentiment whipped up by the press. It would lead to new draconian anti-terror laws, and would probably strengthen the resolve of the British and American services in Iraq rather than weaken it. So, yes, I would inform the authorities."
Mr Galloway, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in east London since he ousted a sitting Labour MP in last year's election, said he would rather see the Prime Minister brought to trial for war crimes.
While opposing attacks on civilians, Mr Galloway said that suicide bombing was the same as Second World War missions in which soldiers faced certain death.