Nigel Farage says Lee Anderson is welcome to join Reform UK after suspension

24 February 2024 , 18:12

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Nigel Farage is Honorary President of Reform UK, which is snatching support from the Tories (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Nigel Farage has said Lee Anderson would be welcome in Reform UK after he was suspended by the Conservative Party.

The MP has been stripped of the Tory whip for claiming Sadiq Khan is controlled by Muslim extremists.

Now Mr Farage, who is Honorary President of Reform UK, has suggested he could find a new home in the rival party, which was originally called the Brexit Party. "Lee Anderson should join Reform UK," he told the Express.

Mr Anderson has previously described Reform as "amateurs" and dubbed party leader Richard Tice a "pound shop Farage", but may now be tempted to defect.

Appearing on GB News on Friday evening, the Ashfield MP said the London Mayor had "given our capital city away to his mates". "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan, and they've got control of London," he added.

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Several senior Conservatives have publicly condemned the remarks, including Tory Minister Nus Ghani who warned they were "foolish and dangerous". Sir Sajid Javid, the former Cabinet minister, said it was a "ridiculous thing to say", while Tory Minister Lord Ahmad said the comments were “divisive”.

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A spokesman for Government Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made [on Friday], the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP." The statement appeared to suggest Mr Anderson would have escaped with just a slap on the wrists if he had agreed to apologise.

Mr Anderson issued a statement to GB News following his suspension. He said: "Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I put both he and the Prime Minister in. With regard to my comments, I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. However, I will continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms, be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia."

Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party Chair, said: "Lee Anderson's comments were unambiguously Islamophobic, divisive and damaging. It is right that he has had the whip removed, but the suggestion that Lee Anderson would have retained the confidence of the Prime Minister, simply if he apologised, is deeply concerning.

"It's clear the Prime Minister still needs to do more to tackle extremists in his party, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman still unashamedly giving voice to hateful commentary and conspiracy theories."

A spokesman from the Muslim Council of Britain said: "While we welcome Mr Anderson’s suspension, his comments did not occur in a vacuum and is only the tip of an iceberg.... The Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem. They need to own up to it."

Mr Anderson will now sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons after having the Tory whip suspended.

Mr Sunak appointed him as Conservative Deputy Chairman last year, but he stood down from the role last month following a disagreement of the Rwanda plan. The Ashfield MP moonlights as a £100,000-a-year TV presenter on GB News even though he used to rail against those who split their time between the Commons and other work.

Mr Anderson has a history of saying controversial things. He has repeatedly ranted about struggling Brits relying on foodbanks - and earned the nickname '30p Lee' for his claims about the cost of meals.

John Stevens