Simon Danczuk: Calls made for lewd texts MP to resign

Calls have been made for MP Simon Danczuk to resign following his admission to having sent lewd texts to a 17-year-old girl.

The Rochdale MP has blamed a "drink problem" for the sexually explicit messages he sent to Sophena Houlihan.

Mr Danczuk has been suspended from the Labour Party, but he told the BBC he has no intention of resigning.

Former Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Thirsk is now asking why he has not quit his role as a MP.

'Texts when drunk'

Ms Thirsk, formerly of Rochdale Borough Council, and who organised a demonstration outside the MP's constituency office on Monday, said: "We are going to ask for him to come out and tell us why he won't resign."

Responding to Mr Danczuk's explanation that he sent the texts when drunk, Ms Thirsk asked: "If he was a school teacher would that be allowed, or if he was a social worker?

A protest was organised outside Mr Danczuk's constituency office in Rochdale

"Would the fact that I was drunk be an excuse? If you go up in court accused of a crime, would the fact that you were drunk excuse you? That can't be acceptable."

Mr Danczuk has apologised "unreservedly" for his actions and is being investigated by his own party.

He denied attempting to seduce the teenager and said he did not want to have sex with her, however he accepted that what he did was wrong and admitted that his reputation had been damaged.

Mr Danczuk said the texting was mainly due to him being depressed, rather than due to alcohol, though he admitted to some binge drinking.

After speaking to the protestors outside his office, Mr Danczuk said: "I don't believe the people of Rochdale have any intention of listening to such a rag tag bunch of political opponents."

'Foolish mistakes'

And he claimed the protesters were political "malcontents" and did not represent the views of constituents he had met on the doorstep.

He said: "To a person they were saying that, I've made one or two foolish mistakes but they believed I was doing a good job for Rochdale and that I should continue as their member of Parliament."

Analysis

By Arif Ansari, BBC North West political editor

This kind of sleaze story has finished off many a politician.

Simon Danczuk has apologised and admitted that his reputation has been damaged. But he's responded characteristically by coming out fighting.

He's denied attempting to seduce the teenager, blamed the tabloids for misleading people and downgraded the text messages to "silly mistakes".

A protest march calling on him to step down drew only about two dozen people. He's not going to be forced out.

His bigger threat comes from the Labour Party. Mr Danczuk is much better at making enemies than friends. His relentless attacks on Jeremy Corbyn, and previously Ed Miliband, have left him with few supporters on the party's ruling National Executive Committee.

Many of his colleagues would be delighted to see him expelled. If that happened he would most likely try to continue as an independent MP, which is why he's particularly dependent on local support and his own reputation.

Mr Danczuk's former partner, Claire Hamilton, said his admission that he sent explicit texts to Ms Houlihan, who is now 18, had led her to end their relationship.

She said: "When he did confess to texting a teenage girl, it was definitely over."

Speaking about Mr Danczuk's "drink problem", Ms Hamilton, who ended her three-month relationship with the MP at Christmas, said: "Simon hasn't got a stop button when he starts to drink.

"He can be very charming, funny and a lovely person and then sometimes, when he has had a drink and he was stressed, he would be very nasty and grumpy and someone you wouldn't want to be around."