Danczuk Proxy MP Plot BUSTED

[Update at end of post]

Rochdale’s soon to be not even nominally Labour MP Simon Danczuk may be down, after being banned from standing for the party in next month’s General Election, but he is not yet out. Sadly, though, the latest wheeze from himself and his pals to maintain influence in the constituency has already leaked, and yesterday evening, news arrived on Zelo Street which ties together all the strands in the wind.

Spanker had fetched up on BBC North West Tonight, where host Roger Johnson had given him a moderately severe grilling over his “sexting” a 17 year-old-girl (Danczuk claimed this was not as bad as it looked), his over-claiming of expenses (he excused that by saying others did it too) and the alleged assault of ex-wife Karen (he claimed that Kazza would stand by him). Johnson was given good marks for skewering him.

But one recurring refrain went unnoticed: Danczuk kept referring to “Corbyn extremists”. These were the kinds of people who Labour might select as their candidate. There was, he repeated time and again, a danger from “Corbyn extremists”. But he wasn’t going to run himself. Why keep bringing up the subject? And then, by miraculous coincidence, the name of former Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd was pitched.

My information is that the pitching of Tony Lloyd’s name was not a coincidence.

Lloyd is pals with not only Simon Danczuk, but also Rochdale’s council leader Richard Farnell - part of the Labour old guard that was all for keeping Spanker as Rochdale’s candidate. The Labour old guard that tried to stop Andy Burnham addressing the local CLP as part of his bid to secure the party’s nomination for the Greater Manchester Mayoral election (that, of course, failed, and Burnham secured Rochdale CLP’s backing).

Tony Lloyd

It has been put to me that all the press talk of Lloyd being Labour candidate for Rochdale has come via the Danczuk-Farnell axis. Danczuk goes on North West Tonight - and no doubt will use other media appearances - to frighten voters with the spectre of mythical “Corbyn extremists”, then along comes Mr Moderate non-Corbyn Labour, Tony Lloyd. But I’m told in no uncertain terms he would not be his own man.

Lloyd would not only be the approved candidate of the Labour old guard in Rochdale, he would, I’m told, effectively be “Continuity Danczuk”. He would be the means by which that old guard would continue to exercise influence. But the Danczuk-Farnell axis has three problems to overcome in persuading party members to go along with the idea.

One, the “Corbyn extremists” claim is totally untrue. Local Labour activists across the UK have shown they are their own men and women when it comes to candidate selection.

Two, the secrecy around the Lloyd plot has already been broken.

Three, the Danczuk-Farnell axis has already lost its attempt to derail the Burnham nomination, and there are other, more deserving, local candidates on offer.

This attempt to impose “Continuity Danczuk” on Rochdale has been busted. Tony Lloyd should now do the decent thing and withdraw his name.

[UPDATE 1755 hours: the Manchester Evening News has now told readers that, after news of Tony Lloyd's interest in being Labour candidate for Rochdale became known, "Simon Danczuk has said he will not stand as an independent candidate if Labour choose the ‘right person’ to fight Rochdale".

Spanker's dead giveaway was to tell the MEN "If they choose the right person to be a Labour candidate in Rochdale then I will walk away ... I will still be involved in politics and in Rochdale", which more or less tallies with what I already posted.

And he also maintained his fraudulent claim that "This a politically-motivated decision by Jeremy Corbyn acolytes", talking once more of "a Corbynite extremist".

But one detail where I would take issue with the article is the claim that the Labour shortlist will be decided tomorrow. My understanding is that this has already happened.

Still, good of Danczuk to confirm the original Zelo Street post. And also that he won't be taking legal action against his party for banning him from standing]