The Tory whips have decided it’s time up for Reform defector Lee Anderson on the Home Affairs Select Committee. Anderson is now getting kicked off by motion, as is the government’s prerogative, to be imminently replaced. Lee’s direct questioning has become a staple of otherwise dull Home Affairs committee meetings. No doubt problematic now he’s not batting for their side…
Anderson says:
“I would’ve liked to have stayed on the committee, but with the Home Office once again due to be scrutinised before it I’m probably the last person they want asking questions in the run up to an election.”
Other committee members acknowledge that Lee is a top performer and say “it’s sad to see him go“. End of an era…
Guido reported yesterday that Labour’s candidate for East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward, invited Starmer and Wes Streeting earlier this month to King’s Mill Hospital in Ashfield, for which she is Chairman of the Board of Directors – involving the hospital in political activity while also failing to invite Tory candidate Ben Bradley. It looks like the Tories’ ‘patients’ with the shenanigans is running thin…
Local MP Lee Anderson accused “same old Labour” of “gutter politics” for the move. In the Commons today Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told Anderson that the government has raised the matter with the Chief Executive of NHS England and the regional NHS director as a potential breach of the widely-accepted Nolan Principles of public standards. Not quite what the doctor ordered…
Just last week Ward was banging on about how “important” the Nolan Principles are to her. What happened?
Lee Anderson, seeing the number of MPs rushing for a cigarette after last night’s vote, tells Guido:
“It must’ve been incredibly stressful for some MPs to vote to ban smoking last night, so much so that they dashed through the “Aye” lobby straight onto the Terrace to spark up. Stressful times indeed.“
Reform UK just held a press conference this morning, with Tice and Anderson taking the opportunity to bash the two main parties which are “both forms of socialism“, attacking “Labour’s betrayal of the working class” and “14 years of Conservative mismanagement“. Cue Anderson taking the lectern to remind the public that he is in fact the son of a coal miner…
The conference comes as new data from YouGov shows Brexit voters are backing Reform over Tories for first time, and with it looking highly unlikely that Reform will form a pact with the Tories like the Brexit party did in 2019, they may be set to steal away many Tory votes. Meanwhile, Tice isn’t pulling any punches, telling the Today Programme: “I’m not taking lessons from the Tory party that’s got a bunch of sexual weirdos”…
Lee Anderson says he’s in “campaign mode” up in Blackpool with Reform and he’s missed his scheduled appearance on The Sun’s new politics show. He’s ducked Cole…
Empty chair: Lee Anderson has chickened out of @MrHarryCole‘s new politics show.
Watch #NeverMindTheBallots (without Lee) on https://t.co/sOsZmZ2K9A and The Sun’s YouTube channel from 7pm: https://t.co/SgJzTMSLSK pic.twitter.com/LpUcr2gsAL
— The Sun (@TheSun) March 28, 2024
Christopher Hope has revived Chopper’s podcast – this time for GB News. His first edition, just released, is a deep dive interview with Australian model and actress Holly Valance. Valance, Tory donor Nick Candy’s wife, entered the political fray at the launch of Liz Truss’ “Popular Conservatism” last month. Now she’s endorsed Reform’s platform and their newest recruit…
“I’ll be voting Reform… I support anyone who sticks with what they believe in and isn’t a turncoat… Lee has moved from Labour to Conservatives now to Reform. It’s really weird because there was a Reform party in Canada which ditched the Tories in 1993, blew them to smithereens.“
Holly’s endorsement comes as Reform reaches 14 points with YouGov and up to 12 this morning as the Tories slip in a fresh poll from Techne UK. The Tories’ loss is Tice’s gain…
