In what has been one of the most chaotic by-elections in recent memory, Simon Danczuk is hoping to put the focus back on Rochdale despite the Israel-Gaza conflict dominating the political conversation.
Having represented Rochdale as a Labour MP in Parliament from 2010 to 2017, Danczuk is now standing for the Reform UK party and is bidding to win back his seat from seven years ago.
And with the view that Rochdale has been let down by the main political parties, he is attempting to offer a wider range of choice to voters, campaigning on the issues of reducing crime rates and improving the town centre and transport links.
His last appearance in the political arena came in 2016, where he was blocked from campaigning in the 2017 general election following numerous scandals in the tabloids, most notably for reportedly sexting a 17-year-old girl.
However, Danczuk has claimed these allegations were ‘absolute nonsense’ and ‘a tabloid creation’, with the 57-year-old instead claiming the real reason he wasn’t allowed to stand was because of his disagreements with former-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s policies.
Feeling his beliefs align more with Reform UK, as he branded Sir Kier Starmer’s Labour policies as ‘woke’, Danczuk is a firm believer in stopping the boats and finding an end to illegal migration.
Still a resident of Rochdale, while also spending time in London, he previously campaigned heavily against grooming in the town in 2012.
And after an independent review published last month identified at least 96 individuals between 2004 and 2013 posed a risk to children in the area, Danczuk feels his record could stand him in good stead when the voters hit the polls on Thursday.
He comes up against Labour candidate Azhar Ali who has been suspended from the party for suggesting Israel had allowed the Hamas attacks as part of a pretext to invade Gaza – comments he has since apologised for, claiming Jewish media figures fuelled criticism against him.
And former MP George Galloway – entering the race as the Workers Party of Britain candidate – who is standing on a pro-Palestine ticket, has claimed the by-election is a ‘referendum on Gaza’ although he hopes to ‘make Rochdale great again’.
The town has been a Labour constituency hold for 20 of the past 27 years dating back to 1997, but with Ali now suspended from the party – campaigning only as a Labour candidate because the suspension came when it was too late to change the ballot – he will now run as an independent.
Galloway is the current bookies favourite to win, garnering significant support from the 30% Muslim population in Rochdale, while Danczuk has claimed Galloway has ignored the majority of people in Rochdale who are ‘white, working people’.
Polling stations open in Rochdale from the early hours of February 29th, with votes being counted late into the early hours of Friday morning.
Regardless of the outcome, the results are likely to send shockwaves across the UK, sending a clear message to those MPs sitting in Parliament ahead of the general election which is due later this year.
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