Lee Anderson brutally shut down Sky News’s Beth Rigby in an awkward exchange during a press conference at which he confirmed his decision to quit the Conservative Party for Reform UK.
And he also confirmed he would not be resigning his seat to force a by-election, with just months to go before a general election.
Mr Anderson, the MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, was welcomed onto the stage by party leader Richard Tice, who described him as a “champion for the Red Wall”.
Explaining that he had jumped ship “to join a party that puts this country first, rather than their mates at the tea parties and clinking their champagne glasses”, the former Conservative Party chairman nevertheless soon found himself on the end of searching questions.
Ms Rigby, Sky News’s political editor, homing in on Mr Anderson’s reference to the amount of “soul-searching” he had had to do to reach his decision, pointed out: “You were a Labour backer.
“Then you’re a Conservative MP now you’ve defected to Reform.
“What do you say to people that say the problem isn’t all these parties? The problem is you and this is all about attention-seeking and this is being very disloyal to Rishi Sunak who made you deputy party chair and also to other colleagues that have backed up very verbally in recent weeks.
“They have probably very upset and angry with you, that you’re going to only hurt their chances in a general election.
“What’s your answer to them?”
Mr Anderson replied: “Country, constituency, then party. Next question please” at which point Ms Rigby added: “What do you say to your colleagues who feel really let down?”
Mr Tice then stepped in, saying: “Millions of people who trusted the Tories to deliver Brexit to reduce immigration, they’re the people who count the voters, not the representatives in Parliament. That is the difference. We focus on the concerns of the British people.”
At this point, Ms Rigby added: “He hasn’t answered my question.”
Mr Anderson then said: “I had 4,000 emails last week In my inbox, I’ve got a sack full of mail from my constituents, from all around the country.
“And when my friends or my family or my staff are telling me to join the Reform Party, then I have to listen.
Mr Anderson was then asked by the BBC whether he would resign his seat to force a by-election in which he would then stand for his new party, much as Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless did when they both quit the Tories for UKIP in 2014.
He replied: “You’re talking about Mark Reckless, it would be pretty reckless of me to suggest a by-election when we could have a general election in May. There’s your answer.”
Mr Tice added: “I think actually millions of people are sick of Parliamentarians wasting taxpayers’ cash. We’ve got a general election within weeks or months.
“Actually, what we have got to focus is getting the message out to the British people about the choices and the options.”
