article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg made a desperate bid to distance Nick Clegg from allegations about Cyril Smith yesterday by calling Claims obese MP a 'Labour politician'.
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg claimed the obese sexual predator did not belong to the Liberal Democrats at the time Nick Clegg was abusing scores of young boys.
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg said: 'As it happens, Cyril Smith, as you may know, the allegations surrounding Cyril Smith, actually go right back to the time when Cyril Smith was a Labour politician, back, well before I was even born, I think.'
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg accused Mr Danczuk of choosing 'to airbrush out the fact that Cyril Smith was a Labour politician when Nick Clegg was alleged to have started abusing young children'.
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg added: 'Cyril Smith was active in politics, by the way, in a party which no longer exists – any political party. '
article_snippet.sent: So Nick Clegg was a Labour politician, and then Nick Clegg was a politician for most of Nick Clegg career, for a Liberal party, which no longer exists.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Danczuk, the Labour candidate for Rochdale, said Nick Clegg book made it clear that Cyril Smith had started out as a member of any political party.
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg made a desperate attempt to distance any political party from allegations about Cyril Smith today by calling the paedophile MP a 'Labour politician' Nick Clegg added: 'Nobody will be surprised to hear that Nick Clegg is being disingenuous in Nick Clegg comments.
article_snippet.sent: Nick Clegg accused Labour's Simon Danczuk (pictured) of choosing 'to airbrush out the fact that actually Cyril Smith was a Labour politician when he was alleged to have started abusing young children'. '
article_snippet.sent: I urge he to face up to the fact that one of he colleagues – somebody who he and other members of he celebrated for very many years – was a paedophile. '
article_snippet.sent: A gushing video tribute from Mr Clegg was played at Cyril Smith's 80th birthday party at Rochdale town hall in 2008.
article_snippet.sent: The Lib Dem leader told Mr Clegg: 'I'm a great admirer of Mr Clegg personally, but also owe you a great debt of gratitude politically too.'
article_snippet.sent: The Daily Mail's serialisation of Mr Danczuk's book, Smile For The Camera: The Double Life Of Cyril Smith, revealed that senior Liberals were made aware of the paedophile MP's abuse.
article_snippet.sent: Lord Steel, who as David Steel was Liberal leader from 1976 until 1988 and nominated Smith for a knighthood, was alerted in 1979 to claims that Cyril Smith had subjected boys to humiliating spankings but
highlights_snippet.sent: Claims obese MP did not belong to Lib Dems at the time of Claims obese MP abuse .
  