Lee Anderson Joins Reform After Conservative Party Suspension

Lee Anderson has announced he is joining the Reform party after he was suspended from the Conservative party last month for suggesting London mayor Sadiq Khan was being controlled by "Islamists".

The former vice chairman of the Conservative party and current MP for Ashfield was suspended from the party in February after he suggested that "Islamists" had "got control” of both Khan and of capital. 

“I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is that they’ve got control of Khan, they’ve got control of London," Anderson told GB News during an interview. 

“He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates... If you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this, expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.”

Following furious backlash and allegations of Islamophobia, with Tory MPs complaining to Number 10 en masse over Anderson's remarks, Anderson refused to apologise - instead referring to his remarks as "clumsy".

It was subsequently announced Anderson would be suspended from the party after he failed to apologise. 

"Lee's comments weren't acceptable, they were wrong," prime minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC in February.

"That's why he's had the whip suspended."

Anderson's new party Reform, founded by Nigel Farage and formerly known as the Brexit party, is a source of growing concern for Conservative MPs concerned it could hoover up disaffected Tory voters at the next election.  

In January, PoliticsHome reported Reform had set up a defections unit for Conservatives considering joining the party as it seeks to attract disgruntled Conservative party MPs and councillors. 

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