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Lee Anderson takes a pop at Sadiq Khan – again

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Ding ding ding! The gloves are coming off today in Birmingham, where Reform UK is hosting its day-long party conference. The Nigel Farage-led party is celebrating the election of its five MPs and its takedown of the Tories with speeches from a variety of MPs and party bigwigs crammed in between 12pm and 4pm. The current government is getting a fair share of walloping too, of course, with one Reform-Labour feud receiving particular attention.

Chief Whip Lee Anderson took to the stage this afternoon to recount his journey from Tory party deputy chairman to Reform’s red wall Rottweiler. Mr S would remind readers that Anderson lost the Conservative whip in February this year after making some rather controversial comments about how ‘Islamists’ have ‘got control of [Sadiq] Khan and…of London’. Promptly suspended, the Ashfield MP was urged at the time to apologise to London’s Labour mayor. He didn’t then – and today he doubled down on that decision once more.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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