The contradictions of Tory Deputy Chair, Lee Anderson
Rishi Sunak had a minor reshuffle earlier in the week, or as many would see it, re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Someone who probably does have that you view- as he recently made the comment on WhatsApp- is Ashfield MP Lee Anderson.
‘Red Wall’ MP Anderson who sits for Ashfield will almost certainly lose his seat at the next Election but in the meantime Sunak has appointed him Tory Deputy Chair.
Anderson who was a Labour member until 2018 is a hard to far right Tory MP who frequently makes comments many would see as racist about asylum seekers, is transphobic and was warned not to use the Anti-Semitic phrase ‘cultural Marxism’.
For the current period however is views on food banks are relevant. He is on record as saying that they are an ‘industry’, that they are used by people who don’t know how to cook and that a budget of 30p a day is enough to buy food.
The last comment related to the cost of food for an individual in a mass collective cooking project which sounds a bit socialist for Anderson.
Sunak who is the richest MP in Parliament probably doesn’t fully grasp the Anderson, food bank, cost of living issue. Many others will however so the deckchairs on the Titanic may need further re-arrangement before long.
Indeed Anderson lost no time in shooting his mouth off in his new role by calling for the return of the death penalty because it is deterrent. Like other Anderson sayings this is of course evidence free. It is not currently Tory policy
The contradictions of Anderson were laid out in an Editorial in the Murdoch Times on 10th February. Headed ‘Loose Cannon’ it noted the last thing Sunak needs ‘is another personality focused distraction’.
Anderson leads a group of hard right Tory MPs the Blue Collar Conservatives who claim to represent working class voters. Don’t expect to see them supporting strikes or opposing anti-union legislation though.
The real contradiction is that while the Times clearly feels uneasy about Anderson and his views it is in the same area on a number of them including asylum seekers and transphobia. Anderson as Deputy Chair is a ramp to even more unpleasant things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Anderson_(British_politician)
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