Suspended Conservative MP Lee Anderson defects to Reform Party

The big political news of Monday, March 11, 2024, was Lee Anderson’s defection to Reform.

One week ago, I wrote about Anderson’s criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the MP’s subsequent suspension from the Conservative Parliamentary Party.

By 9:30 yesterday, Guido Fawkes told us that the rumour mill was in full flow (red emphases his):

Reform UK is making a “major” announcement today, setting Westminster abuzz with rumours of what it may be about. Some speculate that it could be about Lee Anderson defecting to the party following his suspension of the Tory whip. Something Lee himself has not ruled out…

An hour later, all became clear. Recall that, in his constituency of Ashfield, Anderson was a Labour councillor then ran into trouble with them for his conservative — common sense — perspectives. He became a Conservative comfortably in time to run as Ashfield’s MP in December 2019. He was in the ascendant after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, speaking to various Conservative associations and later serving as Deputy Party Chairman before he resigned over the Rwanda Bill earlier this year. Then he was suspended for his comments over Khan.

Guido gave us the news, a video and a reminder of where Anderson stood in January this year:

Reform UK Party Leader Richard Tice has announced that Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK, to be the party’s first MP and their “champion of the Red Wall“. It’s the third party Lee’s been a part of in six years…

Despite the fact that just this January Lee said “Reform is not the answer. It leaves the door open for Sir Keir Starmer to get into No. 10 and undo all the hard work we’ve tried to do so far,” Lee took to the stand today saying: “My country has to come first, I’m scared that we are giving our country away,” pointing to his parents and constituents as inspiration for defecting to Reform. Tice went on to say that he’d be “surprised” if more MPs didn’t defect to Reform before the election… 

For me, that’s a lot of bouncing around, even if the Conservatives did suspend him. Anderson said that he was under parental pressure to embrace Reform. Perhaps, but how will this look in future? It looks as if 30p Lee — referring to his ability to make dinner on the cheap — has 30p principles, too.

At the New Year, Reform’s leader Richard Tice and Anderson didn’t exactly see eye to eye:

Two months on, however, and the Conservatives seem to be moving ever closer to the One Nation Party, i.e. one that is all-embracing, clearly centrist and not too Thatcherite. This is no doubt an influence from former Prime Minister David Cameron, now Lord Cameron, our Foreign Secretary. GB News presenter and former Conservative MP Michael Portillo says that the Party is too concerned about right-wing extremism and not enough about what’s coming from the other side:

Yesterday afternoon, The Telegraph had more on Lee Anderson’s defection (purple emphases mine):

Lee Anderson has announced his defection to Reform UK, declaring “I want my country back”.

The former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party was suspended from the Tories last month over his refusal to apologise for his claims that Islamists had “got control” of Sadiq Khan and London.

Mr Anderson accused the Conservative Party of “stifling free speech” by forcing him to retract the remarks, as he insisted that he was speaking “on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who agree with me”.

He revealed that his elderly parents had pleaded with him over the weekend to quit the Tories, saying they could only vote for him if he joined Reform UK.

Announcing the defection at a press conference in Westminster on Monday morning, Richard Tice, the Reform UK leader, said Mr Anderson would be the party’s first MP …

Mr Anderson told the press conference: “I will start by saying I want my country back. Over the last year or so I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching on my political journey. I don’t expect much in politics other than to be able to speak my mind.”

He said that led him to be “labelled as controversial,” but argued it was “not controversial to be concerned about immigration” or to “fight back in a culture war”.

Mr Anderson continued: “It is no secret that I’ve been talking to my friends in Reform for a while. And 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.

“People will say that I’ve [taken] a gamble. And I’m prepared to gamble on myself, as I know from my mailbag how many people in this country support Reform UK and what they have to say. And like millions of people up and down the country, all I want is my country back.”

Later, in a huddle with print journalists, Mr Anderson said he had been “umming and ahhing” about the move for some time, while “trying to throw you lot off the scent” …

Mr Tice said he expected more Tory MPs to follow the Ashfield MP in joining Reform, while Mr Anderson said: “It’s a sad day that I’m leaving my colleagues. But if I’m honest, this time next year they’ll be sat on the same benches as me.”

In a swipe at Rishi Sunak, the Ashfield MP said “nothing’s changing” under the Conservatives “apart from words”, adding: “People want more than words, they want action.”

“You sort of live in hope that things are going to get better and they’ve not got better. The Conservative Party is, what, 25 points behind, probably, in the polls. We keep saying that’s going to close nearer the election, well every day’s nearer the election… we drop a point every week,” he said.

Mr Anderson said there have been “several tipping points” for him over the past few months, including his “unpalatable” suspension “for speaking my mind” …

I do not know whether he will be allowed to sit on the Conservative benches, as he has done since his suspension. He could be confined to the other side of the chamber at the top row behind Northern Ireland’s DUP MPs. We shall see.

Not everyone in Reform, a tiny political party, is taken with Anderson. Businessman and recent failed parliamentary candidate Ben Habib, who is always eloquently expressed when he appears on GB News, appeared to take a swipe at Anderson yesterday afternoon.

Guido reported:

While Richard Tice is swinging with his newest member of Reform (and first MP) Lee Anderson, it seems not all of his party share the same enthusiasm for the latest recruit. Reform UK’s Deputy Leader and former candidate for Wellingborough Ben Habib has come out with a rather luke-warm reaction to Lee Anderson’s defection. Having said last month that Lee wasn’t good enough for the party, he said today on GB News:

I am circumspect about all Tory MPs…particularly Tory MPs who can’t express themselves clearly…I picked [Lee] up on this when he said Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. Clearly Khan is not controlled by Islamists.

While Reform sources say nine or ten Tory MPs are in advanced talks to join Reform UK, time will tell how Reform juggles internal politics whilst rolling out the welcome mat for fresh faces… 

Well, that’s me done with Lee Anderson, because I was never going to write about no-hope Reform, the party (limited company, actually) that hasn’t a chance now or in future.