Simon Danczuk is set to appear before a star chamber of the National Executive Committee this morning to learn whether he will be readmitted to the party and allowed to stand as the official Labour candidate for his Rochdale seat.
Suspended from the party since December 2015 following newspaper allegations about his private life, Danczuk had previously earned widespread praise for his tenacity in exposing his predecessor, Sir Cyril Smith, as a sexual predator.
His disciplinary case is now a microcosm of a bigger debate within the party.
As Atul noted the other day, it boils down to whether Labour’s priority at this election is maximising the number of Labour MPs returned, or positioning for post-election control of the party.
If the former, the NEC has to allow Danczuk to stand.
Despite his ubiquity in the tabloid media, he remains popular among his constituents and is a solid and determined campaigner.
In 2015, he increased his majority from 889 in 2010 to 12,442.
The Rochdale seat is mercurial for Labour. Having oscillated between Labour and the Liberal Democrats in recent elections, Danczuk remains Labour’s best chance of holding it.
If, however, the party leadership is more concerned with the composition of the post-election parliamentary party- and the potential of getting a bloc of left-wingers who will nominate a left-wing successor to Corbyn – then removing a vocal critic of the leadership like Danczuk may be the over-riding consideration.
Is Labour a serious political party focused on winning an election, or a fan club? The treatment meted out to Simon Danczuk will tell us.
Tags: General election 2017, Jeremy Corbyn, NEC, Rochdale, Simon Danczuk
What? If Dansczuk allowed whip, that’s a sigh of a serious party, no whip is a Corbynite fit-up? Seriously?
Danczuk has admitted to repeatedly sex pesting a 17 y/o girl who had asked him for a job, he’s been accused of beating his ex on several occasions, various allegations of sexual misconduct etc.
Factionalism aside, why on earth would you consider him an appropriate candidate? And as for electoral asset – Labour would fare better without Danszuk than with in Rochdale, he’s despised by more than support him.
Citing 2015 majority against 2010 while if ignoring the LibDem collapse is either dishonest or idiotic too.
At best, Danszuk is a sex pest, at worst a sex offender. Ridiculous that he retains support from some quarters purely because he’s not on left of party. Shameful in fact.
@What
the author was not prepared to put their own name to this toss.
that in itself tells you of their embarrassment at it.
A divorced man gets a text message from a constituent who shows interest in him, who wants to meet about a possible internship, and th n he twigs she’s 17 continues the suggestive texts, it’s not illegal ,he wasn’t using his position to get sexual favour, let the electorate decide if they dislike his morality, I dint think that’s any different to, a religious person thinking someines life style choice is different to what their religion preaches, or any different to,lif some feminists think,those who have sex changes aren’t the ex, they now claim to be.
>WHAT says
“At best, Danszuk is a sex pest, at worst a sex offender”
Remind me of the court case where he has been convicted of any sex crime? There is none.
People like you making wild allegations which have no basis in fact (sex between a 17 year old and an over 40 year old may be distasteful to some but it is not illegal)..
Typical poster with nothing political to say but trying to smear their opponent.
He may not have been convicted by a court, but the idea the electorate are going to vote for a self confessed drunken, wife beating leazebag shows an incredible lack of insight into popular sentiment, and a sinister inability to empathise with women ( and socially grounded men).
Is that what you lot mean when you lot talk repeatedly about “electable” politicians?
A nonce like Danzcuk?
Nomatestype, what a slanderous quote, the police in Spain found no video evidence of him assaulting his ex wife,and she never said he did either, ans so whatif he likes a drink, cling him a nonce, dint know ho your quote go through the adjudicator
Nomatestype
“He may not have been convicted by a court, but the idea the electorate are going to vote for a self confessed drunken, wife beating leazebag shows an incredible lack of insight into popular sentiment, and a sinister inability to empathise with women ( and socially grounded men).
Hmm You seem to forget Eric Joyce late MP.. Several arrests for drink driving, assault etc.. and the late George Brown…
@Nomatestype
The electorate has voted for Boris Johnson, who is a serial adulterer, liar and thug. I am not wild about Danczuk, but let’s not pretend that the electorate cares about his sex life.
As for the characteristic bumbling of Corbyn’s not very useful idiots – well, why would anyone vote for them? They’ve got nothing to offer on policy, despite desperate attempts to plagiarize Miliband’s manifesto. They have no organizational talent and the Momentum rabble clearly can’t be bothered to drag their whiny arses off the couch to actually do the hard work of politics. So much for the brave not-new Labour world towards which Mr. Bean (Stalinist edition) is leading the proletariat.
Danczuk is the beneficiary of a collapse in the LD vote. Nationally, their vote fell by about two thirds. As the book of the 2015 general election shows, their vote fell in every seat.
That is why he increased his majority.
I think the reason he was elected in the first place is because Gordon Brown made his ‘bigoted woman’ remarks. This, apparently, persuaded the LibDems that that they could afford to ease up.