Simon Danczuk says he will stand against Labour if he is not the Labour candidate

Simon Danczuk

Simon Danczuk says he will stand against Labour if he is not the Labour candidate for the forthcoming General Election on 8 June.

Despite Mr Danczuk having been suspended by the Labour Party since January 2016, following outrage over his sexting a 17-year-old girl who asked him for a job, he says he is "hopeful" of being Labour's candidate.

However, when asked if Mr Danczuk doesn’t stand for the Labour Party, would he stand as an independent, a spokesman from Mr Danczuk's office said: "Simon hopes and expects to stand as Labour’s candidate, and will be fighting hard for that outcome, but he will be standing as a candidate regardless."

Mr Danczuk has kept a low profile this year following a number of scandals that hit the national news in 2016, but is also still awaiting a decision from the Met Police on whether or not he is to be prosecuted for claiming over £11,000 in Parliamentary expenses he was not entitled to claim.

Locally, Labour party members are divided on whether or not Mr Danczuk should be welcomed back into the Labour fold, and hence the Labour candidate. One councillor adamant that must not happen is Councillor Chris Furlong, who has long been a vocal critic of Mr Danczuk. Councillor Furlong says he is "seriously considering standing for the Labour candidacy after being inundated by Rochdale members asking him to stand against Danczuk".