Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, faces a stiff challenge in maintaining the Tories’ targeted “red wall” of seats in the North of England; a conundrum intensified by the departure of MP Lee Anderson, a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, in favour of joining the Reform UK party, a political establishment co-founded by Nigel Farage.
Last month, Sunak suspended Mr. Anderson for failing to seek forgiveness after associating London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, with Islamists—a matter which led Anderson to choose Reform rather than the Tories, citing that he wished to belong to a party that prioritised the country’s needs.
Anderson, who transitioned from a mining background to being a prominent Tory right-wing figure, initially won his party’s MP seat for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire back in 2019 during the significant “get Brexit done” victory by ex-prime minister, Boris Johnson. This victory brought together a mixed group of traditional Conservatives and working-class supporters.
Mr. Anderson, however, first entered office with a thin majority of fewer than 6,000 votes. Given recent reversal of much larger leads against Labour in byelection turnouts, he might have faced substantial risk in the upcoming general election expected later this year.
The decision by Anderson to leave, while in line with his recent public demonstrations of association with Reform, will likely increase the strain on Mr. Sunak, especially coming from the more conservative members of the Tory party, some of whom have shown desires for a change in leadership.
Anderson started publicly distancing himself from Mr Sunak, a previously close ally, as of January. He expressed opposition to the prime minister’s setpiece Rwanda deportation law. He also attended rallies presided by former Prime Minister, Liz Truss, advocating for the Tories to move further to the right. His suspension following his assertion that Mr Khan was under the influence of London’s Islamists seems to have put a definitive end to his five-year relationship with the Tories.
“As of this morning, I have decided to leave the party. Parliaments simply don’t comprehend the wishes of the British public. I wish to reclaim my country,” Mr Anderson announced upon his departure.
When queried in January about potentially switching allegiances to the Conservatives, his response was clear. He stated that the idea of reform was incorrect and it could potentially provide an opportunity for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to inhabit Number 10 and reverse their previous accomplishments.
As per certain polls, Reform UK is ranking moderately and is anticipated to detract votes away from both Conservatives and to a lesser degree Labour in the forthcoming election. Some political experts have proposed that the uprising of this party might virtually solidify a Labour triumph by dividing the right-leaning votes, particularly if Mr Farage decides to take part in campaigning efforts.
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