Danczuk Dirt Disher Baker Is Back

There was some question last year how Rochdale’s nominally Labour MP Simon Danczuk would manage, following the news that his former sidekick Matt Baker, believed to be behind a whole host of smears and dirty tricks, was off to advise Bristol’s independent Mayor George Ferguson. For those still wondering, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Danczuk is managing fine, because the bad news is that Baker is back.

Ferguson used Baker’s services until November, at which point there was a parting of the ways. This was most useful to Danczuk, whose appearances in the press, especially his Sunday columns, needed someone to write them. You think I jest? One look at the letter featured on Zelo Street yesterday shows why this should be.

From “my constituency office and I”, through “it is your decision as to what action you now take, though I believe it requires immediacy”, to “setting out this on-going situation”, the grammar is not going to cut the mustard in the national press. My information is that Simon Danczuk does not write any of his newspaper columns, which are instead authored by Matt Baker, who then takes 50% of the agreed fee.

It gets worse: I’m also told that it is Baker who talks to the press and does the deals. So where does Danczuk come in? Simples. He provides much-needed raw material and subject areas: those who have noticed that he is a rather more regular attendee at Parliamentary Labour Party meetings may not have known that this is, I’m informed, so he has more information, especially insider gossip, to feed to Baker.

The result is very lucrative for both Danczuk and Baker: it’s been put to me that the sums declared in the Register of MP’s Interests are only Danczuk’s 50%. So, for those columns that Baker writes - as opposed to those where Danczuk indicates he has “contributed” to a piece, which is different - the actual fee the paper concerned pays is twice that amount. This equals some serious money-making.

And so it would have remained, had Danczuk’s eye for More And Bigger Paycheques For Himself Personally Now not intervened, it seems. The Mail On Sunday was paying him and Baker well enough, but I’m told the Sun On Sunday was prepared to up the ante. This incurred the displeasure of one senior staffer at the MoS whom it is best not to antagonise. Hence the MoS being more than willing to run hatchet jobs on the MP.

But Simon Danczuk thinks it’s all a game - or rather, he did until the MoS dumped on him last weekend, with the Mail doing him over the previous day, and former girlfriend Claire Hamilton appearing in the Mirror to tell the same story about Danczuk’s relationship with the old falling over water that had already been told by both his ex-wives.

One thing that Danczuk and Baker have to realise is that it is one thing playing the media game in Rochdale, but quite another trying it on with the pack in London. Better make the money while you can, guys.