George Galloway has been expelled from the Labour Party but has vowed to defend his parliamentary seat.

The controversial MP was found guilty on four of the five charges he faced, having been suspended from his 36-year party membership in May.

Galloway immediately condemned the decision as "a travesty of justice" and said he would "definitely be defending my position in parliament".

However, Rose Burley, who chaired the National Constitutional Committee panel that heard the case, said that the verdicts had been reached unanimously and as a result they ruled that "Mr Galloway be expelled from membership of the Labour Party forthwith".

He was found guilty of inciting Arabs to attack British troops, urging British troops to defy orders, congratulating a Socialist Alliance anti-war candidate who defeated Labour in Preston and threatening to stand against Labour himself.

While he has no right of appeal against the ruling within the party, Galloway said he will now consider his legal options.

"After 36 years of membership I have been expelled forthwith," he said following the announcement.

"It was a travesty of justice, a kangaroo court... whose verdict clearly had been written in advance in the best tradition of political show trials."

And Galloway said the unanimous judgements on serious charges "all point to this having been rigged in advance".

"I think it is a serious development," he said, adding that other MPs could face the same fate.

Galloway said that opponents of the Iraq war were being "rooted out" of the Labour Party.

"Inside or outside parliament we will continue to hold [Tony Blair] to account for a crime, a war crime, and a blunder of extraordinary magnitude," he vowed.

Questioned by journalists on his future plans, the MPs said he would "now have to consider my position".

"I will definitely be defending my position in parliament. I am not leaving politics, I am not leaving public life."

He said the decision would damage Labour, particularly in Scotland and among Britain's Muslim community.

"I think Labour will rue the day, electorally, that they have taken this step."

He said "absolutely, certainly" that he was prepared to stand as an independent in the next general election.