Ex-Labour MP who sent explicit texts to 17 year old to stand as Reform candidate
The Reform Party has selected a former MP who was suspended by Labour for sexting a 17-year-old girl to run in the forthcoming by-election in Rochdale.
Simon Danczuk has been selected by Reform to stand in his former constituency, where he was MP between 2010 and 2017.
The Rochdale by-election, which will take place on 29 February, was triggered by the death last month of Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd.
Mr Danczuk, who worked to expose late Rochdale MP Sir Cyril Smith as a paedophile after he took the seat in 2010, was suspended from the Labour Party in 2015 by then leader Jeremy Corbyn, who he was a staunch critic of.
His suspension followed revelations that he sent explicit messages to a teenage drama student.
Following the revelations the former MP, who was 49 at the time, said: “My behaviour was inappropriate and I apologise unreservedly to everyone I’ve let down. I was stupid and there’s no fool like an old fool.”
While he was not found to have broken the law and was not expelled from the party, the party prevented him from standing for Labour at the snap 2017 general election. He stood in Rochdale as an independent candidate, finishing in fifth place.
Mr Danczuk faced another tabloid expose in July 2016, when The Sun revealed he had sex with a 22-year-old woman on a desk in his constituency office after meeting her via Twitter four days earlier.
Mr Tice told i that he was not concerned about events in Mr Danczuk’s private life and that he was the “right candidate for Rochdale”.
“He had an unwise relationship with a young lady but nothing illegal and he accepted what he did was daft and unwise,” said Mr Tice. “Labour investigated, didn’t find anything against him, but because he was so active against Corbyn they threw him out of the party so he stood as an independent.
Read More
Wellingborough Tories select recalled MP Peter Bone’s partner to fight by-election
Politics
Wellingborough Tories select recalled MP Peter Bone’s partner to fight by-election
Read More
“He has an excellent track record of integrity and being brave enough to call out the grooming gangs in Rochdale.
“Regrettably, in Rochdale, these grooming gangs still exist, and you need someone like Simon, who’s prepared to tell it like it is and root them out.”
The favourite for the seat is Labour candidate Azhar Ali, the party’s leader on Lancashire County Council.
The former Labour and Respect Party MP George Galloway, Leader of Workers Party of Great Britain, is also standing and Reform party leader Mr Tice believes his presence will help Mr Danczuk close the gap on Labour in the constituency.
Other contenders include Reverend Mark Coleman, a long-time climate campaigner and Just Stop Oil supporter, and fellow independent Billy Howarth, the founder of Parents Against Grooming UK.
While it is understood Guy Otten will be announced as the Green Party candidate in the coming days, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are yet to confirm their candidates for the election.
Mr Tice claimed Mr Galloway’s presence in the race will boost Mr Dancuk’s chances of regaining his former seat.
“Galloway will attract a lot of the votes from the Muslim community, which represents around 35 per cent of the voters in Rochdale,” said Mr Tice adding that Mr Galloway “almost scuppered” Labour’s victory at the 2021 by-election in Batley and Spen after gaining strong support from the Muslim community in the West Yorkshire constituency.
“Rochdale has a larger Muslim community than Batley and Spen, so that will be a significant factor and with Galloway in the race Labour cannot expect to have it all their own way. We certainly have a good chance of getting Simon his seat back.”