Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk, has accused the Liberal Democrat MP, Paul Rowen, of playing politics with Palestine following fiery exchanges at a public meeting at Castlemere Community Centre in Rochdale last night.

The meeting had been organised by Muslim groups to discuss the ongoing crisis in Gaza where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombs. Mr Danczuk said the discussions were lively but entirely constructive until Paul Rowen spoke and launched an angry diatribe of abuse at the Government.

Accusing his opponent of only turning up to try and score “cheap political points”, Mr Danczuk, who recently went on a study tour to Palestine and is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine, condemned the Rochdale MPs record on Palestine, accusing him of “turning his back on people he had promised to help”.

“When Paul Rowen was elected MP for Rochdale he promised to campaign for Palestinians but he has never even uttered the word ‘Palestine’ in Westminster,” he explained. “He has done absolutely nothing.

“While Gaza was being pounded by Israeli missiles he was lying on a beach in Thailand. Hundreds of people had died before he got off his sun lounger and made a public statement. This man is not bothered about the plight of the Palestinians. He is only interested in trying to score cheap political points. I find it disgusting that at a time when Rochdale’s Muslim community is extremely concerned at the massacre of innocent people that is taking place in Gaza and looking for their MP to represent their concerns and lobby for a ceasefire, he is acting as though it’s a game. This is a time for grown up politics. We do not need Paul Rowen’s constant posturing and pathetic point scoring.”