"Even taken at its worst, if the allegations made by these two women were true, 100 percent true, and even if a camera in the room captured them, they don't constitute rape," Mr Galloway said. "At least not rape as anyone with any sense can possibly recognise it. And somebody has to say this."

The Respect MP then suggested one of the women had claimed she invited Mr Assange back to her flat, had consensual sex with him and then "woke up to him having sex with her again - something which can happen, you know".

"Some people believe that when you go to bed with somebody, take off your clothes, and have sex with them and then fall asleep, you're already in the sex game with them," he continued.

"It might be really bad manners not to have tapped her on the shoulder and said, 'do you mind if I do it again?'

"It might be really sordid and bad sexual etiquette, but whatever else it is, it is not rape or you bankrupt the term rape of all meaning."