Reform UK's Lee Anderson ranted 'mad' party will win 'zero' seats before joining
Ex-Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK - weeks after saying it was "not a proper political party" and branding its leader a "pound shop" Nigel Farage.
The Ashfield MP lost the Tory whip for vile claims that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled 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 becomes the first Reform UK MP, said he had made the decision because "I want my country back." Standing alongside party leader Richard Tice at a Westminster press conference, he said: "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."
Rishi Sunak appointed Lee Anderson as Deputy Chairman of the Tory party before things went sour (PA)But he hasn't always had such warm words for his new party. In January, he said that Mr Tice was a "pound shop Nigel Farage " and Reform UK was "not a proper political party". In an interview with GB News, which pays him £100,000 a year to host a show, he said: "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."
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He said Mr Tice was only helping Labour, adding: “I'm not interested in what Mr. Tice has got to say. It’s alright for the likes of Mr Tice; he’s got a bob or two, he’s probably a millionaire. He can go back to his little penthouse overlooking the Thames. If Labour do win the election, he can shut his curtains and get on with his life."
Last year, Mr Anderson ranted to the Sun on Sunday: "Reform UK and their leader Richard Tice are basically working for a Labour government. He wants to punish us but he will punish the country."
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 country at all. They are mad, these people. For a party to want that to happen, they don’t care about this country. All they want is a bit of power 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 event, he also boasted that he'd been offered "a lot of money" to join Reform UK. But Mr Tice hit back, saying: "Desperate Tories will make desperate lies to save their skin".
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