Lee Anderson | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Official_portrait_of_Lee_Anderson_MP_crop_2.jpg) Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Chief Whip of Reform UK in the House of Commons | |
| Assumed office 11 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Nigel Farage |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Member of Parliament for Ashfield | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Gloria De Piero |
| Majority | 5,509 (13.8%)[1] |
| Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 7 February 2023 – 16 January 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Matt Vickers |
| Succeeded by | James Daly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 January 1967 Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Political party | Reform UK (2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour (1983–2018) Conservative (2018–2024) |
| Spouse | Sinead Anderson |
| Children | 2 |
Lee Anderson (born 6 January 1967) is a British politician and television presenter who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashfield since 2019. He has been Chief Whip of Reform UK since July 2024.[2] He was elected in 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party, but defected to Reform UK in March 2024 after having the whip suspended. He became the party's first MP, and was subsequently elected for Reform UK at the 2024 general election.
Anderson was a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak from February 2023 to January 2024. He resigned to vote against the government on an amendment relating to the Rwanda asylum plan; he had abstained after stating that he had been taunted by Labour Party MPs in the No lobby.[3] In February 2024, he had the Conservative whip suspended after refusing to apologise for stating that "Islamists" had "got control" of Sadiq Khan and Keir Starmer.
Before his parliamentary career, Anderson was a coal-miner and worked for a Citizens Advice Bureau. He was elected as a Labour Party councillor in the Ashfield District in 2015. Suspended by Labour in 2018, he defected to the Conservative Party later that year and was a Conservative councillor in Mansfield from 2019 to 2021 concurrently with his term as an MP. He was elected for Reform UK at the 2024 general election.
- ^ "Election results for Ashfield Constituency". Ashfield District Council. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Daubney, Martin (9 July 2024). "Lee Anderson Appointed Chief Whip". Retrieved 9 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Cecil, Nicholas (18 January 2024). "Lee Anderson: I didn't vote against Rwanda Bill after Labour MPs 'sniggered' at me". Evening Standard.