Who is the most divisive figure in politics? Last year the Daily Mirror claimed Lee Anderson was ‘the worst man in Britain’. This week the Conservative MP is managing to cause a headache both for Labour and his own party. Anderson is a grassroots favourite who even before he was made deputy chairman of the party was near top of the list when it came to the MPs local associations wanted to speak at their events. When No. 10 gave him the role back in February, the idea was that he would help Rishi Sunak in his appeal to the 2019 coalition – with Anderson a straight-talking red wall MP.
This week there was evidence, too, of how his comments can make life uncomfortable for Labour. His comment that asylum seekers who take issue with being housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge ought to ‘f*** off back to France’ were not directly repeated by ministers but they did allow more mild-mannered Tory politicians such as justice secretary Alex Chalk to say they agreed with the sentiment and indignation at the cost of putting asylum seekers in hotels.
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