Tory Lee Anderson asks presenter 10 times if she's ever lied in odd interview
The new Tory deputy chairman has clashed with a radio presenter over accusations of dishonesty in a bizarre interview.
Brazen Lee Anderson repeatedly asked his interviewer on BBC Radio Nottingham if she had ever told a lie when she challenged him over a 2019 incident when he was caught persuading a pal to pretend to be an anti-Labour swing voter.
The Ashfield MP then demanded that the radio station play his 11-minute interview in full or not play it at all - or threatened that he would never work with them again.
He then moaned that he was supposed to talk about his new role "not the other stuff" such as his rants about foodbanks or his campaign trail gaffe.
Rishi Sunak promoted the divisive Tory MP in a mini reshuffle triggered by the sacking of Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi over his tax affairs.
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Former Trade Minister Greg Hands, a London MP who backed Remain, was named as his replacement, with right wing Brexiteer Mr Anderson as his deputy.
Lee Anderson has frequently criticised the use of foodbanks (Tom Maddick SWNS)Since his appointment, Mr Anderson has already sparked controversy by backing the death penalty because "nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed".
The Prime Minister slapped him down, saying: "That's not my view, that's not the Government's view."
And in a pre-recorded interview aired on Wednesday, Mr Anderson got into a major row with BBC presenter Verity Cowley.
Ms Cowley tried to challenge him on a major gaffe in 2019 while he was out on the campaign trail with veteran reporter Michael Crick.
In the footage Mr Anderson took a phone call which said was about leaflets - but his microphone picked up that he was telling a mate to pretend they didn't know eachother when he knocked at the door.
Ms Cowley said: "There is a worry by some that you might be a bit dishonest."
The Tory MP shot back: "Have you ever told a lie Verity?"
The presenter replied: "We're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about you."
He retorted: "No answer the question. Have you ever told a lie?"
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Ms Cowley said: "I'll tell you what I'm talking about when I'm talking about dishonesty - I'm talking about that video."
He interrupted: "Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever told a lie?"
Lee Anderson was caught getting a friend to pose as an anti-Labour swing voter during the 2019 election (Mail Plus)An increasingly baffled Ms Cowley said: "We're not, we're not talking about me."
"Have you ever told a lie," he demanded.
She replied: "Well I've not asked somebody to pretend to be somebody that they're not."
He said: "Have you ever told a lie?"
She started to answer and then he said again: "So Verity, have you ever told a lie. Yes or no answer."
Ms Cowley replied: "What I'm saying is I've never asked somebody to pretend to be something they're not just to further my campaign.
"I've not asked somebody to tell a lie. I am asking you if that is dishonest?"
Mr Anderson said: "Just answer the question, please. Have you ever told a lie?"
She said: "I mean, what do you mean? We, as humans, tell false truths to protect people."
"So you're a liar, so you're dishonest," Mr Anderson replied.
"We've established you're dishonest and you tell lies."
After berating her for several minutes, he finally address the video she was asking about.
He said: "Let's talk about that video because three weeks afterwards, I was voted in as the first-ever Conservative MP [in Ashfield], beating Labour by 8,000 votes.
"So that's what the people of Ashfield think and that's all that matters to me."
Mr Anderson told her to play the interview in full and then changed his mind and asked her not to play it at all.
He said: "I can't trust you to play to play the whole lot to live and be fair to me.
"We're supposed to be talking about my role as Deputy Chairman not the other stuff... So don't play please. If you do, I will never I will never give you anything again."
During the interview he also doubled down on his criticism of the use of foodbanks, saying he didn't think anyone earning £30,000 to £35,000 should need one.
Ms Cowley said: "Even though nurses, firefighters, people who've got jobs are saying 'I need to use this' you don't believe them?"
"No," Mr Anderson said. "You bring them to me Verity, you get a fireman and a nurse in Ashfield and bring them to me and we'll do it on the show.
"I'd challenge you right now to find me a firefighter or a nurse in Ashfield that's using a food bank and I'll give you a year to find one."
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