Rishi Sunak reshuffle: One-time Jeremy Corbyn supporter named deputy Tory chairman

Rishi Sunak has appointed a former Labour councillor as the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

Lee Anderson, Tory MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire since 2019, was previously a Labour councillor in the area but defected to the Conservatives in 2018.

In 2017 he campaigned to put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street.

On Tuesday, Mr Sunak appointed the outspoken ‘red wall’ backbencher to deputy chairmanship of the party as he carried out a minor reshuffle of his Cabinet.

Sacked Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was replaced with Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands, who had been serving as a trade minister.

Of his appointment, ex-coal miner Mr Anderson said: “Yes it’s true. From the Pits to Parliament. Feeling very proud.”

However, the appointment was greeted with mixed reactions within the Conservative Party, with one MP reportedly telling Sky News: “Lee Anderson is everything that is wrong with the Conservative brand presently.

“He seems to rejoice in deliberately provoking and making aggressive simplistic statements that fail to recognise the complexities of the issues facing the country.

“If this is the new Tory Party, many will be forgiven for deserting it.”

Former leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron poked fun at his appointment, saying: “I see that Labour have managed to get their sleeper agent in as Tory Vice Chair. Good work.

“Obviously, we managed to get ours into No. 10 so they’ve got a bit of catching up to do, but this is nevertheless a decent effort.”

Mr Anderson is known for courting controversy with his outspoken views, having previously told parliament that some people only use food banks because they “can’t cook a meal from scratch” and “cannot budget”.

He later said the remarks were intended to “get lots of media attention,” and highlight the need for cooking lessons in schools.

As part of the reshuffle, Mr Sunak has created four new Government departments, including a department for energy security and net zero. It will be led by Grant Shapps, who had been business secretary.

“I think we’ve seen over the last year in particular the impact that happens to people’s bills at home when energy policy doesn’t work properly, when we’re reliant on imported energy from hostile countries," Mr Sunak told broadcasters while on a visit in central London.

“That’s why the creation today of a new department focused specifically on energy security and net zero is so important."

Downing Street admitted the changes will not be a “silver bullet" to address the problems facing the UK but said the moves have been “worked on for some time".