In a surprising political move, former Labour MP Simon Danczuk has announced his candidacy for the Reform Party in the upcoming Rochdale by-election. Danczuk, who previously held the seat from 2010 to 2017 and played a key role in exposing the Rochdale grooming scandal, has defected to the Richard Tice-led party.
Speaking to The Sun, Danczuk criticized his former party, stating, “The Labour party is just focused on the North London view of things now. They have gone from work to woke. I was traditional Labour, standing up for people who were working, getting people off benefits into work, reducing illegal immigration. Where is the Labour Party on all that now? Rochdale has been taken for granted by Labour for too long.”
Danczuk, a vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyn, faced suspension from Labour in 2017 and was barred from standing for sending explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl. Acknowledging the impropriety of his actions, he publicly apologized, admitting it was inappropriate and foolish, stating, “There is no fool like an old fool.”
The Rochdale by-election is expected to be heated, with community and racial tensions arising from issues such as the war in Gaza and the grooming scandals. Observers anticipate that this campaign could become one of the most contentious and toxic in recent years.
Danczuk, previously married to the self-proclaimed “selfie queen” Karen Danczuk (from whom he separated in 2015), has recently tied the knot with 28-year-old Rwandan beauty therapist Claudine Uwamahoro. His candidacy for the Reform Party adds an intriguing dimension to the political landscape in Rochdale, as voters prepare for a fiercely contested by-election.
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