The MP Lee Anderson said “I’m doing it for my country” after his announcement that he is defecting from the Conservative Party to join Reform UK.
He told GB News after a speech announcing his switch: “As you’ve just seen in this hall today and I've said numerous times today, I'm going to put my country first, the constituency comes second, and then the party unfortunately comes third. So I’m doing it for my country.”
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, he continued: “Things have changed. Things have moved on…we saw last week George Galloway entering Parliament which frightens me to death and a lot of mainstream people across the country.
“That’s scary, he’s mobilising, the rest of Parliament seem to be sleepwalking into disaster, they’re not prepared to stand up and fight, fight back against this threat.
“The Reform Party offers sound economic policies as well as sticking up for this great country of ours. I've said time and time again, all I want is my country back. I want to be able to feel safe, and my family and friends, feel safe walking the streets.
“I want these demonstrations on our streets of London stopped. These idiots that are out there, these yobbos shouting murderous things that are on the streets, they need to be locked up. It's all well and good now spouting out strong words from the steps of Downing Street and in the chamber, the people want action. They want to see action. They want to see this stop.
“They want our country back and we should be incredibly proud of this country and its achievements over hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s a gift to the world, this great country of ours. We've given this world so much, but slowly but surely, we've given this country away to people who just do not like our way of life.”
Asked how leaving the governing party helps to achieve that, he said: “That's by campaigning up and down the country with Reform UK, making sure that people get out. People have now got a reason to vote because the big thing I was picking up on the doorsteps over the past six or seven months or so is that people will not go out and vote next time.
“The reason the Labour Party is 20 points ahead is because a lot of Conservative voters just don't want to vote, they feel politically homeless at the moment. Now, this might trigger a few people to think actually there is a different party. There's something to vote for. There's a reason to go out on Election Day and vote for something completely different because at the moment the Conservative Party and Labour Party, you can't divide them.”
Asked if “money had changed hands”, he said: “No money has changed hands. Absolutely no money at all. I'm hoping that [Richard] Tice will buy me a pint later…”
He said he had not informed the Prime Minister of his intention: “He’ll find out from the press conference this morning. Twitter has been alive with rumours this morning. I’ve got no truck with Rishi, I think he's a good man. I think he's a decent man but they should have never took the whip off me.
”When you look around the country at the amount of support I've had over my comments, and…the amount of emails that's come in, over 4,000 emails in the inbox at work, a sack full of mail. Everywhere I go, people want to shake my hand. I was at a football match last week, people were coming up to me, shaking hands and saying ‘well done Lee’.
“I've got the mood of the nation, I'm pretty sure I have. Now, there are some people that obviously say that he’s not as, he’s a fascist, he’s a bigot, all these silly things. Nothing I said a few weeks back about Mayor Khan was Islamophobic or or racist - it’s nonsense.
“People need a voice. If I can't speak up for them in that place over there, then I might as well not be there.”
On whether other MPs will follow him, he said: “I have no idea. I suppose the drums will be beating now and there’ll be lots of messages going back and forth…but I don't know, that's up to them.”
Asked why he will not resign and spark a by-election, Anderson said: “There could be an election in May, so it'd be rather foolish to call a by-election.”
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