Former MP says rape claim is ‘totally false’
FORMER Labour MP Simon Danczuk says an allegation of rape made against him is “totally false.”
A police investigation has been launched after a complaint was made by a woman to officers in Manchester on Monday, over an incident alleged to have occurred in the Westminster area of London last May.
However Mr Danczuk, who is standing in his Rochdale seat as an independent in the upcoming General Election, said the timing of the allegation was “deeply suspicious”.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “On Monday, 8 May 2017, officers from Greater Manchester Police referred an allegation of rape to the Metropolitan Police.
“A woman has alleged that she was raped by a man in his 50s.
“The incident is alleged to have occurred in May 2016 at a location in Westminster.
“Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command have been notified and will investigate.
“No arrests have been made and enquires continue.”
However Mr Danczuk strenuously denied any wrongdoing, saying: “The Metropolitan Police have not been in touch with me about this.
“It is a totally false allegation and I look forward to the police clearing it up,” he added to The Sun.
He repeated his denial to the Mail Online and added: “I can’t help but find the timing of these allegations deeply suspi- cious. There is only a day to go before candidates have to submit nomination papers and some people desperately want to stop me.”
Mr Danzcuk this week quit the Labour party, posting a picture of his cut-up membership card on Twitter, after he was told he would not be allow to stand for the party in the General Election.
He was suspended by the Parliamentary party in December 2015, after a tabloid newspaper claimed he sent explicit texts to a 17-year-old girl. However he is standing as an independent in the seat in the election on June 8, which he held since winning it from the Liberal Democrats in 2010, after former Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd was chosen as the party’s candidate.