Lee Anderson’s wife is suspended from Tories as photo appears to show her on Reform UK campaign
Lee Anderson’s wife, a Conservative councillor, has been suspended by the party after she was seen in a photo that appears to show her campaigning for her husband’s rival party, Reform UK.
The Tories have launched an investigation after the Ashfield MP posted the picture on Twitter/X, which shows Sinead Anderson among a group of people canvassing for Reform in Selston alongside her husband.
We Want Our Country Back.
Great turnout this morning when local Reform UK members turned out to help me campaign in Selston.
Fantastic response on the streets in Ashfield.
They want their country back 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/H6JaEsCoPe— Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) April 6, 2024
A Tory spokesperson said: “Mrs Anderson has been suspended pending investigation. The Conservative Party has a robust complaints process in place.
“This process is rightly a confidential one, so that complainants can come forward in confidence.”
When approached for comment by the Sunday Mirror, which first reported the story, Mr Anderson reportedly asked: “How do you know it’s her?”.
If Ms Anderson, who is a senior member of Nottinghamshire County Council, is found to have campaigned for a rival party, it would be a breach of party rules.
Ms Anderson has been contacted for comment.
Mr Anderson was suspended from the Conservative party after he said in a TV appearance on GB News that London’s Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”.
The Tory MP refused to apologise for his comments and prime minister Rishi Sunak refused to describe them as racist.
Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister “lacks the backbone to call out Islamophobia” after the remarks. The PM denied the Conservative party has “Islamophobic tendencies”.
The former Tory deputy chairman, who is now Reform’s only MP following his defection from the Conservatives after losing the party whip, announced a non-aggression pact with a number of former party colleagues.
A series of shock polls suggest the Tories face a pasting at the election due to be held later this year.
Recent polls have put Mr Anderson’s new party – Reform – just a few points behind the Conservatives, amid fears the right-wing populist party could make further gains if Nigel Farage takes a more prominent role.
While the party is unlikely to win any seats, it could take enough votes in certain areas to hand victory to Labour.
Mr Anderson has now said he would avoid campaigning in certain Tory constituencies due to friendships with Ben Bradley (Mansfield), Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw), Marco Longhi (Dudley North) and Nick Fletcher (Don Valley).
The move led to calls for Rishi Sunak to suspend Mr Fletcher from the party after the MP took to social media to endorse Mr Anderson as Ashfield’s “greatest champion”, adding he needs to be back in Westminster after the election. It is understood that Mr Fletcher was spoken to by the government’s chief whip Simon Hart over the post on Twitter/X.
