About our Lee Anderson news
Latest news on Lee Anderson, Ashfield MP, covering his controversial comments, defection to Reform UK, and political career developments.
Lee Anderson, the outspoken Member of Parliament for Ashfield, has been making headlines since his election in 2019. Formerly a Conservative, Anderson had the party whip suspended in February 2024 after refusing to apologise for comments alleging that "Islamists" controlled London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Keir Starmer. He formally defected to Reform UK in March 2024, becoming the party's first MP.
A former coal miner and Labour councillor who defected to the Conservatives in 2018, Anderson has courted controversy with inflammatory statements on various issues. These include suggesting food bank users "cannot budget" and illegal migrants crossing the Channel should "**** off back to France". He also expressed support for the death penalty and said the government should "ignore the law" to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda after the Supreme Court ruled the policy illegal.
As a newly appointed GB News presenter and Reform UK's first MP, Anderson looks set to remain a provocative figure in British politics. He has stated Reform UK offered him "a lot of money" to defect, which the party denies. The 57-year-old Nottinghamshire native, who has battled cancer and raised two sons as a single father, shows no signs of toning down his combative approach.
Follow this NewsNow feed for the latest on Lee Anderson MP - his transition to Reform UK, television career, parliamentary speeches and controversial statements that spark backlash and debate. We gather all the breaking news and analysis on this polarising political figure.