[Grammar] has been

[tkacka15]

"George Galloway, who has been an MP for Respect and Labour, singled out Creasy and told the gathered crowds that a few angry emails were nothing compared with the suffering that would be endured by the people of Syria." [From the Guardian's report on events taking place in London on the 2nd December 2015.]


"George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. From 2012 to 2015 he was the Respect Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford West." [From the Wikipedia.]

My question is: is the present perfect used in who has been an MP for Respect and Labour acceptable even though Mr Galloway isn't the MP any more as he lost his parliament seat in May 2015?

 

[Tdol]

I would use the past tense. Galloway's political career may not be over- he's standing to be Mayor of London, so that might be behind the writer's choice. He may pull off another win for Respect, though he's unlikely to be allowed back into Labour.