Lee Anderson was tonight revealed to have held secret talks with the Reform UK chief amid fevered hypothesis he may defect after being kicked out the Tories.
It emerged the Ashfield MP held a ‘one to 1’ assembly with Reform’s Richard Tice on Sunday lunchtime, round 24 hours after he was stripped of the Conservative whip.
GB News, the TV channel that employs each Mr Anderson and Mr Tice, reported the pair met for in individual talks at a Holiday Inn lodge at Junction 28 of the M1 motorway.
The rendezvous in South Normanton, Derbyshire – simply 10 miles from Mr Anderson’s constituency – is alleged to have occurred after Mr Tice agreed to fulfill Mr Anderson on his journey again from Reform’s convention in Doncaster.
Since being suspended by the Tories on Saturday, Mr Anderson has refused to rule out becoming a member of Reform, the celebration based by ex-UKIP chief Nigel Farage.
The report of his assembly with Mr Tice got here as Mr Anderson doubled down on his assault on London mayor Sadiq Khan that noticed him booted out the Conservatives.
Lee Anderson was revealed to have held secret talks with the Reform UK chief amid fevered hypothesis he may defect after being kicked out the Tories
It emerged the Ashfield MP held a ‘one to 1’ assembly with Reform’s Richard Tice on Sunday lunchtime, round 24 hours after he was stripped of the Conservative whip
GB News, the TV channel that employs each Mr Anderson and Mr Tice, reported the pair met for in individual talks at a Holiday Inn lodge at Junction 28 of the M1
The former Tory deputy chairman stated he stood by his declare the capital’s Muslim mayor was ‘managed by Islamists’.
In a spherical of TV interviews, the Ashfield MP stated it was ‘disgusting’ individuals have been accusing him of attacking Mr Khan final Friday due to the Labour politician’s religion.
Mr Anderson steered when he levelled his unique criticism at Mr Khan he ‘did not suppose what faith he was, I simply suppose he is a ineffective mayor’.
He earlier used a separate TV look to assert Mr Khan ‘nearly enjoys’ seeing chaotic pro-Palestinian protests outdoors Parliament.
The main ‘Red Wall’ MP additionally appeared to have burned his bridges with PM Rishi Sunak after insisting he won’t be saying sorry ‘whereas I’ve nonetheless bought breath in my physique’.
And talking to ITV at this time he stated: ‘Even if I’ve to face down or go, you recognize, not stand in any respect, I can’t apologise.’
Mr Anderson waded again in on Sadiq Khan claiming the London mayor ‘nearly enjoys’ seeing chaotic pro-Palestinian protests outdoors Parliament
Mr Anderson to have burned his bridges with PM Rishi Sunak after making clear he won’t apologize to the London mayor (pictured at this time) ‘whereas I’ve nonetheless bought breath in my physique’
Mr Sunak stated Mr Anderson was ‘improper’ to ‘inflame tensions’, however refused to say if he thought his feedback to be ‘Islamophobic’
Mr Anderson has hailed the assist he has obtained after the controversial intervention about Mr Khan
Speaking to ITV, Mr Anderson stated: ‘I do not remorse it. No, I stick by the sentiment of my feedback.
‘It was stay TV. You know, we have seen per week the place we have seen huge disruptions round Parliament.
‘We’ve seen Keir Starmer get in his personal manner and, and in the end the, the Labour Party getting their very own manner.
‘Mayor Kahn is a Labour politician. Let’s not overlook that. So I used to be inside my rights to assault him and to counsel I’ve attacked him ‘trigger he is a Muslim, that is fairly disgusting.’
Last night time Mr Anderson advised GB News – the place he’s employed as a presenter – that he will certainly be standing on the normal election.
But requested whether or not he could be a Conservative candidate in Ashfield, after being stripped of the celebration whip, he stated ‘that is less than me’.
Mr Anderson, who was beforehand a Labour councillor, acknowledged he had ‘been on a political journey’ and flatly refused to touch upon whether or not he may take up an invite from Mr Farage to hitch Reform UK.
No10 at this time stated Mr Anderson was responsible of conflating all Muslims with Islamist extremism in his preliminary remarks – however stated Mr Sunak didn’t consider the previous senior Tory was a racist.
The PM’s official spokesman advised reporters: ‘The PMresponded to those questions yesterday, he would not consider that the person is a racist however… the language he used was improper and it is unacceptable clearly to conflate all Muslims with Islamist extremism or the intense ideology of Islamism.
‘That’s why the PM regarded these feedback as improper and unacceptable.’
The spokesman additionally denied ministers had been instructed to not use the time period ‘Islamophobia’, including: ‘We, the Government, as beforehand said, cannot settle for the APPG’s definition of Islamophobia, which conflates race with faith, doesn’t deal with sectarianism inside Islam and should inadvertently undermine freedom of speech.
‘So, anti-Muslim hatred is the extra exact time period which higher displays UK hate crime laws, however once more as mentioned yesterday we have all the time been clear that the Government doesn’t and won’t tolerate anti-Muslim hatred in any kind, and can proceed to fight such discrimination and intolerance wherever it happens.’
Appearing on Channel 5, Mr Anderson was requested whether or not he would change something he stated on TV on the weekend that triggered the carnage.
‘I might in all probability change my phrases barely, to, you recognize to incorporate extra teams of individuals, who I feel he is beneath the affect of, who he ignores,’ he stated.
‘And I feel it is all political, I feel he nearly enjoys seeing these, these scenes on Whitehall and on Parliament Square, which disrupts parliament, which places my authorities in a foul mild. I feel he simply turns a blind eye, it is politics.’
Tom Pursglove this morning turned the most recent minister to say no to say whether or not Mr Anderson’s feedback about Mr Khan have been Islamophobic.
Asked about Mr Anderson’s feedback, the authorized migration minister advised Times Radio: ‘I feel that what Lee stated was improper and he should not have stated it.
‘The Chief Whip requested him to apologise and to withdraw these feedback, and he did not accomplish that, and in order that left no choice however to withdraw the whip.’
Asked whether or not he thought the feedback have been Islamophobic, Mr Pursglove stated: ‘I do not suppose Lee personally is racist however what he stated was unacceptable.’
In a defiant assertion final night time, Mr Anderson stated it could be a ‘signal of weak point’ to apologise ‘if you suppose you might be proper’.
He advised GB News he wouldn’t apologise ‘whereas I’ve bought a breath in my physique… as a result of the feedback I made weren’t racist, in any respect. They maintain bandying this phrase ‘Islamophobia’ about – no one can clarify what it actually means.’
Mr Anderson added: ‘It completely makes me sick to the pit of my abdomen to see these extremists on our streets in London terrorising individuals…
‘I feel I’ve a proper – I consider in free speech – to say that I feel mayor Khan has misplaced, and the police have misplaced, management of the streets of London.’
The lack of apology got here after ministers steered that whereas Mr Anderson’s feedback have been ‘not acceptable’, there could possibly be a manner again if he apologised.
In an indication of Tory tensions over the difficulty, former residence secretary Suella Braverman final night time urged ministers to stamp out the rising menace to public life posed by Islamist extremists.
Mrs Braverman, who has advised pals the suspension of Mr Anderson was an ‘over-reaction’, stated: ‘We must urgently focus now on the massive downside: find out how to sort out Islamist extremism within the UK.
‘The hysteria in response to these calling out the disaster is likely one of the explanation why we’re not making progress. Language does matter however it’s time for resolute Government motion.’
Mr Sunak is dealing with a ‘Red Wall backlash’ after sacking Mr Anderson over his claims that Mr Khan was ‘managed by Islamists’. Pictured: Mr Anderson and Mr Sunak in January
Former residence secretary Suella Braverman has advised pals the suspension of Mr Anderson was an ‘over-reaction’
Mr Sunak stated Mr Anderson was ‘improper’ to ‘inflame tensions’, however refused to say if he thought his feedback to be ‘Islamophobic’.
Several Tory MPs have voiced non-public assist for Mr Anderson, with out explicity supporting his remarks.
In a message on a Tory WhatsApp group, Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer stated it was important the Conservatives remained a ‘broad church’ – and that Mr Anderson had been ‘an enormous asset to our celebration’.
Activists from the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), arrange by right-wing Tories indignant on the ousting of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, criticised the choice to droop Mr Anderson.
Leaked messages from a CDO WhatsApp group present one member saying it was ‘time for the snake of a PM to go’.
A second described Mr Sunak as ‘weak and feeble’, The Guardian reported.
Former minister for London Paul Scully warned that components of the capital and different cities equivalent to Birmingham with massive Muslim populations had change into ‘no-go areas’ – a declare rejected by the Tory mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street.
Mr Tice, the Reform UK chief, inspired Mr Anderson to defect, saying that though his phrases have been ‘clumsy… his sentiments are supported by tens of millions of British residents, together with myself’.
Senior Tories had steered that Mr Anderson may have the whip restored if he apologised for his feedback. But in a brand new assertion yesterday, Mr Anderson stated he had nothing to apologise for.
‘If you might be improper, apologising just isn’t an indication of weak point however an indication of energy. But if you suppose you might be proper it is best to by no means apologise as a result of to take action could be an indication of weak point.’
Mr Anderson insisted that criticism of Mr Khan’s method was justified by his failure to take care of anti-Semitic behaviour at pro-Palestinian marches within the capital.
‘My phrases could have been clumsy however my phrases have been borne out of sheer frustration at what is occurring to our lovely capital metropolis,’ he stated.
‘Hundreds of individuals had been arrested for racist abuse on these marches and we barely hear a peep from the mayor.
‘If these marches have been about one thing much less trendy, Sadiq Khan would have been the primary to name for them to be cancelled. It’s double requirements for political profit.’
Mr Khan stated Mr Anderson’s feedback had ‘poured petrol on the fires of hatred’.
Mr Anderson has hinted that he may be part of Reform UK as he once more vowed to not apologise for claiming Mr Khan was being ‘managed by Islamists’
Mr Sunak advised Channel 5 News that politicians had an obligation to be ‘cautious with their phrases’.
But the PM acknowledged public concern in regards to the behaviour of some pro-Palestine campaigners, saying: ‘People, I do know, are annoyed about seeing our democratic course of threatened.
‘We have a proud custom in our nation of debating concepts and disagreeing, however we do this peacefully and respectfully.
‘We do not aggressively intimidate individuals, we do not disrupt their non-public occasions, we do not go and encompass MPs’ houses, and we do not threaten what is going on on in Parliament to the extent that processes there must be modified.
‘None of that’s proper, none of that’s British and I feel everybody will really feel, as I do, extremely annoyed once they see these issues taking place.’
But he insisted Britain was not a racist nation, including: ‘I’m standing right here as residing proof of that.’