Farage woos Anderson after Tory suspended over Khan comments
Lee Anderson has been offered a place the Reform party by Nigel Farage after he was stripped of the Conservative whip after claiming that “Islamists” have “got control” of Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London.
Mr Farage said he believed Mr Anderson would “feel happier” in Reform and would be a “massive help to the cause” after the MP for Ashfield was suspended for his comments, which were criticised as Islamophobic.
Mr Anderson, a former deputy chair of the Conservative Party, made the comments on Friday as he spoke about the policing of pro-Palestinian protests.
He told GB News: “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. He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Tories confirmed that they had withdrawn the whip. A spokesman for Simon Hart, the Chief Whip, said Mr Anderson had been suspended “following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday”.
On Saturday night, Mr Anderson wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the Prime Minister in with regard to my comments. I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances.
“However, I will continue to support the Government’s efforts to call out extremism in all its forms – be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.”
News of Mr Anderson’s suspension prompted speculation that he could switch his allegiance to Reform, with the Tory claiming last year that he had turned down an invitation to defect.
Mr Farage, Reform’s honorary president, told The Telegraph the party would open its doors to him, saying: “I just think Lee has a very good heart.
“He’s still relatively new at politics, he’s had a few ups and downs, but I think his heart is in the right place and he’d be a massive help to the cause. He’d probably feel happier in Reform than he has in the current Conservative Party.”
Asked about the Tories’ decision to suspend the whip, Mr Farage replied: “It doesn’t surprise me at all. They are a social democrat party, they don’t like open free speech.”
Pressure on Mr Anderson had grown, with Labour calling for the whip to be withdrawn. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said his words were “blatant Islamophobia”.
He also came under fire from some Tories, with Sir Sajid Javid, a former home secretary, describing his comments as “ridiculous”.
Earlier on Saturday, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, distanced himself from Mr Anderson’s words but appeared to defend his right to “speak his mind” when asked whether the remarks were acceptable.
However, hours later Nus Ghani, a government minister, said the comments were “foolish and dangerous”. The Telegraph understands that Ms Ghani, who is Muslim, contacted Mr Anderson about the remarks on Friday night before speaking to him again on Saturday.
“I don’t for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists,” she wrote on social media. “To say so is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly, this is all so tiring.”
The Telegraph understands that the Tories felt they had to take swift action in light of the pressure Labour came under after Azhar Ali, their candidate in the Rochdale by-election, became embroiled in an anti-Semitism row.
However, Mr Khan criticised the “silence” from Mr Sunak over the affair, claiming “blatant anti-Muslim hatred” was being tolerated within the Conservative Party.
“We all rightly unite in our condemnation of antisemitism, homophobia and misogyny,” he said. “Racism is racism.”
On Saturday night, several Tory MPs expressed support for Mr Anderson. One said: “Lee needs to be more careful with the language he uses. But he’s right to call out the failing London Labour Mayor and to express his concerns about radical Islam.
“I know him well and can confirm that he abhors all racism… He wants to stand as a Conservative at the next election and I’m very confident he will.”
Another claimed the suspension could rebound on Mr Sunak in the same way as Boris Johnson’s handling of groping complaints against Chris Pincher.
“Lee is very popular with the grassroots and a lot of colleagues on the Right,” said the MP. “I think this bonkers decision could turn out to be Rishi’s ‘Chris Pincher moment’.
Richard Tice, the Reform leader, said he had not made contact with Mr Anderson, adding: “Lee’s not been in touch and we haven’t been in touch with Lee.”
