Ex-Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK – weeks after saying it was “not a proper political party” and branding its chief a “pound shop” Nigel Farage.
The Ashfield MP misplaced the Tory whip for vile claims that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was managed by “Islamists” and had “given our capital city away to his mates”. Today, he confirmed he had switched to right-wing outlet Reform UK, which was born out of Mr Farage’s Brexit Party.
Mr Anderson, who turns into the primary Reform UK MP, mentioned he had made the choice as a result of “I want my country back.” Standing alongside occasion chief Richard Tice at a Westminster press convention, he mentioned: “Reform UK has offered me the chance to speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who feel that they’re not being listened to.”
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But he hasn’t all the time had such heat phrases for his new occasion. In January, he mentioned that Mr Tice was a “pound store Nigel Farage ” and Reform UK was “not a proper political party”. In an interview with GB News, which pays him £100,000 a 12 months to host a present, he mentioned: “This is not a proper political party, by the way, this is a company. Mr. Tice’s spouted his mouth off and he’s had a little pop at me today.
“I get on with Richard reasonably well, but I would say this: He’s not Nigel Farage, he’s not the leader that Nigel Farage was. In fact, I agree with one of my constituents, who said to me earlier today he is a bit of a pound shop Nigel Farage.”
He mentioned Mr Tice was solely serving to Labour, including: “I’m not taken with what Mr. Tice has obtained to say. It’s alright for the likes of Mr Tice; he’s obtained a bob or two, he’s in all probability a millionaire. He can return to his little penthouse overlooking the Thames. If Labour do win the election, he can shut his curtains and get on along with his life.”
Last year, Mr Anderson ranted to the Sun on Sunday: “Reform UK and their chief Richard Tice are principally working for a Labour authorities. He desires to punish us however he’ll punish the nation.”
He also told a Tory “Lagers with Lee” event last year that Reform are “mad” and they would win “zero seats”. In a leaked recording, reported by the Sunday Times, he said: “They don’t care about this nation in any respect. They are mad, these individuals. For a celebration to need that to occur, they don’t care about this nation. All they need is a little bit of energy in Parliament.
“Now, the Labour Party, if you vote Reform, you give the Labour Party a chance to win. The Labour Party will bring in votes for 16-year-olds. I’m convinced they will. Now if they do that, you might as well just rip your memberships up now, because you’ll never see a Conservative, not in my lifetime, again.”
During the occasion, he additionally boasted that he’d been supplied “a lot of money” to affix Reform UK. But Mr Tice hit again, saying: “Desperate Tories will make desperate lies to save their skin”.