Simon Danczuk resigns from Labour Party

Photo: Journeaux

Simon Danczuk

Simon Danczuk has laid the ground for standing in the general election in Rochdale as an Independent by resigning from the Labour Party.

Councillor Allen Brett, who was Mr Danczuk's election agent, was scathing, he said: "I feel Danczuk has let us down, he promised he wouldn't stand against us, but it is all about money and himself."

The Leader of Rochdale Labour, Councillor Richard Farnell added: "This is just another sad chapter in his political downfall."

In a letter to Labour general secretary Iain McNicol, Mr Danczuk wrote: "Please accept this letter as notification that I have resigned from the Labour Party.

"The Labour Party is no longer the positive political movement that I joined nearly 30 years ago. Indeed, under its current leadership the Labour Party is more interested in serving its own ends rather than those of hard-working people for whom the party was originally established.

"With frontbench spokespeople, such as John McDonnell, continually obsessing about Karl Marx, the benefits of communism and celebrating the reign of Joseph Stalin, I feel the Labour Party has totally lost touch with its social democratic values and, indeed, with reality in 21st-century Britain.

"Importantly, I am also concerned that the Labour Party has shown itself not to have the interests of Rochdale at heart. The way in which the party are treating the Parliamentary seat of Rochdale as a 'safe seat' in to which they can simply parachute a Corbyn supporting candidate is deplorable. The people of Rochdale deserve so much more than being treated with such disdain by the Labour Party.

"With Theresa May likely to win a landslide victory at the General Election and subsequently holding a very large majority in Parliament, Rochdale people need someone who will speak up for them, who will voice their concerns rather than simply being voting fodder for Jeremy Corbyn.

"I hope that one day in the not too distant future the Labour Party will see sense and return to a more moderate form of social democracy which the people of Britain, and indeed Rochdale, will understand and appreciate."

Councillor Andy Kelly, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said: "It now looks like Mr Danczuk is teeing himself up to be an 'Independent' candidate in Rochdale. I said this would happen.

"This is more about claiming a parachute payment than it is about improving Rochdale."