Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk has denied suggestions he could be about to defect to UKIP after he was photographed with Nigel Farage at a pub.

The Labour MP was pictured having a drink with the UKIP leader in London amid claims by a national newspaper that their meeting had fuelled defection rumours.

But Mr Danczuk said: “I’m going nowhere.”

He added: “It wasn’t a secret meeting. We met in a public place - in a pub.

“I’m not the sort of politician who only hangs out with my own tribe.

“I like to challenge my views and challenge the views of other politicians. Nigel and I have been talking about meeting for some time and we both had an opportunity to meet up on Friday.”

He said: “I’m very much Labour. I’m more Labour than some other Labour politicians and, if the truth be told, I’m not going anywhere.

“I think there are lessons we can learn from UKIP. I think, whether we like it or not, he’s the most successful politician of 2014 in the European and local elections.

"It has led to politicians thinking more about issues such as immigration.

“Labour have been challenged on immigration. We always spoke about it, right from the 1960s and through Jim Callaghan, and wanted to be the party that tackled it.

“So Labour’s denial of a problem with immigration is very much a New Labour phenomenon.

“We have to get back to addressing this issue as we have done in the past. This is what UKIP have pushed us towards.”

The meeting between Mr Danczuk and Mr Farage comes two months after Labour’s Liz McInnes narrowly won the neighbouring Heywood and Middleton seat by 617 votes in a close by-election battle with UKIP.

Mr Danczuk will defend a majority of 889 over the Liberal Democrats at next year’s General Election.

He said: “I’m speaking on behalf of my constituents. There are 680 people seeking asylum in Rochdale. There are no people in David Cameron’s constituency and one person in Theresa May’s constituency.

"We’re carrying an unfair burden. Parties have been illusive about it for far too long.”

A national newspaper claimed Mr Danczuk was high on Mr Farage’s ‘wanted’ list.

But Mr Danczuk said: “The majority of people like to see politicians of different persuasions working together. It’s the season of goodwill.”