Text row MP suspended
Politician apologises after sending sexually explicit messages to girl
THE political future of outspoken Labour MP Simon Danczuk is in doubt after he was suspended by the party for sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage girl.
The 49-year-old backbencher, who represents Rochdale, apologised unreservedly for what he called was his inappropriate behaviour. He allegedly told Sophena Houlihan, who was 17 at the time, that he was “horny” and asked her if she wanted “spanking” after she contacted him for a job.
Mr Danczuk, who has been a prominent campaigner against child sexual exploitation and played a leading role in exposing ex-Rochdale MP Sir Cyril Smith as a paedophile, admitted: “There’s no fool like an old fool.”
Ms Houlihan, now 18, told The Sun: “When I first got in touch I never expected the messages to get so graphic. At the time I played along with it but now I feel like he duped me.”
She added: “I was keen for a career in politics and he is a very high-profile MP and I was in awe of him.”
Mr Danczuk and the teenager exchanged messages for nearly a month before he asked how old she was, according to the newspaper.
The MP’s personal life has repeatedly made the headlines over the past year following the collapse of his marriage to wife Karen, who was dubbed the selfie queen after posting numerous photographs of herself in low-cut tops. Mr Danczuk said his work to expose child sex abuse had left him depressed and helped to cause the split. He revealed he was receiving psychiatric treatment and would be stepping back from his campaigning.
He embarked on a very public relationship with a Labour councillor, Claire Hamilton, who tweeted after Christmas that she had “dumped” Mr Danczuk.
He said the episode with Ms Houlihan came when he was at an “extremely low point in my life”.
He tweeted: “My behaviour was inappropriate and I apologise unreservedly to everyone I’ve let down. I was stupid and there’s no fool like an old fool.”
Jeremy Corbyn said the decision over his colleague’s future now rested with the party’s National Executive Committee, which is investigating the allegations. The Labour leader said: “The concerns that have been raised will be discussed with him and a decision will be reached. But that will be independent; it will not be down to me or any other individual to decide what happens.”
Ken Livingstone, who is on Labour’s NEC, said the claims were “really disturbing”.
“I just find it so bizarre because he put himself at the centre of the investigation into sex abuse of young girls in his area and so on.”
The former London mayor said suspending people had been “very rare” when he first sat on the ruling body but had “almost become an industry now” within the Labour Party.
Conservative MPs claimed the suspension was down to Mr Danczuk’s outspoken attacks on Mr Corbyn. Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant tweeted: “Stupid, @SimonDanczuk may have been, but has he broken any law? Would he have lost #Labour membership if he hadn’t been a critic of #Corbyn?”
A Labour spokesman confirmed Mr Danczuk’s membership of the party had been suspended, pending an investigation by the NEC into the published allegations.
Mr Danczuk has been MP for Rochdale since 2010.