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Lee Anderson’s by-election hypocrisy

(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Lee Anderson is back in the spotlight. The former Tory MP today jumped ship to Richard Tice’s Reform UK party, following weeks of speculation after he was suspended from the Conservatives. Telling reporters this morning that he had deliberately thrown them ‘off the scent’ when he formally denied he would defect to Reform, Anderson’s remarks suggested his mind had been made up for a while. But it appears this was not a decision the ex-Tory had ever thought he would make when he first became an MP. In fact, the Ashfield rep voted in favour of a bill that would have made defecting considerably trickier…

In 2020, Anderson voted for Anthony Mangnall’s Recall of MPs (Change of Party Affiliation) Bill, which stated it was ‘clearly a breach of the spirit of the contract between ourselves and our constituents’ to change political party. The legislation would have meant that any defecting MP would become subject to a recall petition.

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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