Former Mayor threatens to quit Labour Party

Photo: Lambourne Images

Councillor Parker during his tenure as Mayor of Rochdale Borough

Former Mayor of Rochdale Borough, Councillor Robin Parker has written to the Regional Director of the Labour Party in the North West threatening to leave the party if seven of his local party colleagues are expelled.

The seven face a Labour party disciplinary panel early next week (13/14 September) for calling for an investigation into Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) Simon Danczuk following allegations regarding an argument Mr Danczuk had with his young mistress, Karen Burke, whilst on holiday in August 2008.

Mr Danczuk and Ms Burke went public to deny the allegations in an article in the Rochdale Observer in January this year. In the article Mr Danczuk “slammed” the allegations as “vicious mischief making.” Adding that claims that he hit Ms Burke were “totally untrue – an absolute nonsense”.

Ms Burke was said to be distressed by the accusation which she is quoted as describing as “very offensive”.

Mr Danczuk accused people within his own party of being responsible for the attack on his character and said they can be “quite bullying” with a “reputation for being a difficult constituency Labour party”.

This accusation motivated a letter to the newspaper signed by six local party members stating that they believed the claims of bullying had been made because of a request “for a full investigation of allegations made against Mr Danczuk”.

The signatories, Jack Brassington, Michael Cummings, Maureen Nicholl, David Lee, Mark Hollinrake and Michael Coats, along with former Councillor Tom Stott, now face disciplinary action on the ground that they have brought the Party into disrepute, and if found guilty, they could be expelled.

Councillor Parker, in his letter to the Party, says: “To put the investigation in context, most of the accused have been party members for well over twenty years, indicative of the level of work and commitment that these members have given. I have been with most on canvassing teams, stood with some on picket lines and with others on anti fascist rallies. Some have been involved in all three activities.”

He adds: “I now believe that his [Simon Danczuk’s] position as a PPC is no longer tenable, but that is not for this hearing. My concern is that no party member should be expelled because of it. I have been in the party for thirty four years and a councillor for twenty. I always thought, to quote the late Robin Cook, that I would die a member of the Labour Party, but I could not in conscience remain if any of the seven were expelled.”