Labour MP Simon Danczuk ‘withdrew from China trip after refusing to fly economy’

“Nonsense”: Simon Danczuk denies he is responsible for the cancellation of the trip
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Labour MP Simon Danczuk pulled out of a parliamentary fact-finding trip to China at the last minute after discovering he would have to fly economy class, the Standard has learned.

The Rochdale MP withdrew after a request to be upgraded was turned down. It led to the whole four-day visit being “killed”, according to a Tory MP. But Mr Danczuk dismissed this as “nonsense”.

He said a health condition, believed to be a back problem, meant that the travel arrangements — which included a flight of more than 11 hours — were “unsuitable” for him.

A small delegation of MPs — believed to be four —was due to have flown out last night for the visit to China and Hong Kong.

But the All-Party Parliamentary China Group trip was cancelled last week after Mr Danczuk said he would no longer go.

Tory MP Richard Graham, chairman of the APPCG, told the Standard: “It’s obviously disappointing when any member pulls out of a planned visit at short notice which then makes whipping permission much harder, reducing the viability of the group.

“We always spell out from the beginning what class of travel will be funded by the APPCG. If members want to upgrade to business class at their own costs, they are welcome to do so.”

The delegation could have been cut to only two MPs, according to one source, as parliamentary whipping practices mean that if an Opposition MP pulls out of a trip, a Government MP must do the same so key votes are not swayed.

Another Conservative MP believes that axing the visit will “burn up goodwill with our Chinese hosts”.

Some £1,000 already spent may not be recoverable, it was claimed.

But Mr Danczuk strongly denied that his withdrawal had forced the abandonment of the visit. He said: “Unfortunately, a health condition meant that the travel arrangements for the trip were unsuitable.

“If the details had been communicated more clearly earlier on then I would have made it clear I was unable to attend.

“As I only received the full itinerary a few days before travel, I was forced to pull out at the last minute.

“Any suggestion that I am responsible for the cancellation of the trip is nonsense.”

The other MPs due on the trip, to discuss climate change and joint ventures between the UK and China, were Conservatives Jason McCartney and Mark Garnier and Labour’s Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton. An SNP MP is also said to have withdrawn from the trip at an earlier stage.

Mr Danczuk became well known for his campaign to highlight child sexual abuse. The MP, who split from wife Karen in the summer, has also been a strong critic of leader Jeremy Corbyn.

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