Ex-Labour MP Simon Danczuk is plotting a return to the House of Commons by standing as Reform UK’s candidate in the Rochdale by-election, it was revealed today.
The 57-year-old is hoping to be re-elected to the seat he held for Labour between 2010 and 2017 when local voters go to the polls at the end of this month.
It comes almost seven years after Mr Danczuk quit Labour amid a ‘sexting’ scandal, when he was alleged to have sent explicit messages to a teenager.
The Rochdale by-election, which will take place on 29 February, was triggered by the death of veteran Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd last month.
Labour are widely expected to retain the seat at the contest and have chosen local councillor Azhar Ali as their candidate.
But Mr Danczuk urged local voters to back him as he warned the town was ‘being neglected by the main political parties’.
Ex-Labour MP Simon Danczuk is plotting a return to the House of Commons by standing as Reform UK’s candidate in the Rochdale by-election
The 57-year-old (pictured in 2015) is hoping to be re-elected to the seat he held for Labour between 2010 and 2017 when local voters go to the polls at the end of this month
Mr Danczuk is married to Claudine ‘Coco’ Uwamahoro, a Rwandan beauty therapist whom he met on a business trip to Kigali in 2022
‘Labour refuse to say what they will do if they get into Government,’ he said.
‘The Tories refuse to do in Government what the public want. One has broken Britain, the other will bankrupt it.
‘Rochdale and our country are crying out for change.
‘We are all proud of Rochdale, its people and its fantastic history. But Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak don’t care about our town, they continue to take us for granted.’
Mr Danczuk, who is a regular guest on TV channel GB News, was first elected to the Commons as Rochdale MP at the 2010 general election and retained the seat for Labour at the 2015 general election.
But, in December 2015, he was suspended by Labour following newspaper allegations he had exchanged explicit messages with a 17-year-old girl who had been seeking a job in his constituency office.
Mr Danczuk apologised for ‘inappropriate’ behaviour, adding: ‘I was stupid and there’s no fool like an old fool.’
He was later barred from standing as Labour’s candidate in Rochdale at the 2017 general election.
Mr Danczuk subsequently quit the party and chopped up his membership card as he launched an outspoken attack on then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Both during and after his time in Parliament, Mr Danczuk’s private life has routinely made headlines.
Mr Danczuk separated from his wife Karen Danczuk, with whom he had two sons, in 2015.
Ms Danczuk, who became known for ‘selfies’ she posted on social media, later became a TV celebrity and launched her own bid to become an MP.
Mr Danczuk separated from his wife Karen Danczuk, now a TV celebrity with whom he had two sons, in 2015
Ms Danczuk, who became known for ‘selfies’ she posted on social media, once launched her own bid to become an MP
Mr Danczuk is now married to Claudine ‘Coco’ Uwamahoro, a Rwandan beauty therapist whom he met on a business trip to Kigali in 2022.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice said: ‘Rochdale needs an MP who will challenge the lazy Labour local council.
‘We need an MP prepared to challenge Labour’s vested interests. We need an MP who will challenge, not cover-up, Labour wrongdoing.
‘Simon Danczuk, with all his knowledge, his guts and experience, is best placed to challenge and change Rochdale for the better.’
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
