Reform MP Lee Anderson ordered to apologise after swearing at Parliament safety guard

Lee Anderson has been ordered to apologise in the Commons after swearing twice at a security officer when his parliamentary pass didn’t work.

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) said on Wednesday the divisive Reform UK MP had breached Parliament’s bullying and harassment policy. He was found to have “sworn twice at a security officer after his pass did not work when he was trying to enter the Parliamentary estate in November 2023”, the body added.

Mr Anderson allegedly told the guard “f*** off, everyone opens the door to me, you are the only one” when he was told he needed to have his pass checked at the entrance gates.

When the guard repeated that the pass had to be examined, Mr Anderson approached them before saying “f*** you, I have a train to catch” and walking out of the search post.

The MP for Ashfield had appealed the decision by Parliament’s standards commissioner to upheld the complaint about the incident in November. But on Wednesday the IEP said his case was dismissed on the basis that it “failed to raise any substantive grounds.”

They added: “In considering the sanction the sub-panel accepted that the complainant was left upset and intimidated by the incident, and it had contributed to him moving to a different job in Parliament. It also took into account his views on the appropriate sanction.

“The sub-panel noted that following his unsuccessful appeal Mr Anderson now accepted the Commissioner’s finding that he had sworn at the complainant and that his behaviour had been a breach of the bullying and harassment policy.

“He had also expressed a desire to apologise. The sub-panel accepted Mr Anderson’s evidence that he had faced ‘challenging personal circumstances’ on the day in question and his ‘unacceptable behaviour’ was ‘not planned or premeditated’.