Labour bans Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk from standing in election

Simon Danczuk, the MP for Rochdale, has been banned by Labour from standing as the party’s candidate in the general election, the Guardian has learned.The controversial MP was suspended from the party in 2015, pending an investigation, after a tabloid newspaper revealed he had sent explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl.Labour officials fear that if he stands as an independent, the former councillor would still carry some personal support and would split Labour’s vote in the Lancash