It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Lee Anderson. The outspoken Conservative MP for Ashfield brewed up one storm too many, after he suggested that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was ‘being controlled by Islamists’.
Why has Lee Anderson had the whip suspended?
The inflammatory statement has drawn condemnation across the political benches, with Sajid Javid calling his remarks ‘ridiculous’. It’s understood that Anderson has accepted his suspension – but refused to apologise for the comments.
Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart made this statement on Saturday:
“Following his refusal to apologise for the comments that he made to GB News yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.” | Statement from Simon Hart
What Lee Anderson said about Sadiq Khan
Anderson’s rhetoric frequently pushes the boundaries, but his latest tirade has been described as ‘outright racism and Islamaphobia’ by some critics. His ill-fated interview went down terribly with the masses:
“He’s 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” | Lee Anderson
Though the man colloquially known as ’30p Lee’ showed a modicum of contrition, he ultimately stopped short of apologising – a hallmark of the modern-day Conservative Party. Bizarrely, he also stated he would continue to ‘call out Islamaphobia’.
“I understand the difficult position that I put the Prime Minister in. I accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip. However, I will continue to support efforts to call out extremism in all its forms, be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.” | Lee Anderson
Will Reform come calling for 30p Lee?
The fallout has been nuclear – but what does the future hold for Lee Anderson after his suspension? A number of political figures believe this whole affair will pave the way for him to join the Reform Party – seen as more right-leaning than the Tories.
Chris Rennard, a life peer for the Liberal Democrats, suspects the opportunity will be offered to Mr. Anderson.
“How long before ’30p’ Lee Anderson defects to the Reform Party – having previously defected from Labour to the Conservatives? Ashfield is an interesting constituency, which can swing either way.” | Chris Rennard
These sentiments have been also offered by none other than Nigel Farage. He told the Daily Express that Lee Anderson “should join Reform” – putting the cat among the proverbial pigeons.