Self-styled Tory “Red Wall” hardman Lee Anderson told how he ditched his plan to vote against the Government’s flagship Rwanda Bill after Labour MPs started “sniggering and taking the mick” in the No Lobby.
Mr Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith both quit as a Conservative deputy chairmen to back amendments, which failed, to the controversial legislation.
But just a day later Mr Clarke-Smith voted with the Government on the bill which cleared the Commons by 320 votes to 276 and now goes to the Lords as the Government seeks to get deportation flights to Rwanda off the ground by the spring.
Mr Anderson, a £100,000-a-year presenter on GB News, was intending to stick to being a rebel.
But the Ashfield Tory MP and former Labour councillor changed his mind on the bill at the eleventh hour, and abstained.
He told GB News: “I was going to vote no. I went into the no lobby to vote no, because I couldn’t see how I could support the bill after backing all the amendments.
“I got into the no lobby and I spent about two or three minutes with a colleague in there. The Labour lot were giggling and laughing and taking the mick and I couldn’t do it: In my heart of hearts, I couldn’t vote no.
So I walked out and abstained.”
He explained further: “I wanted to vote no, but when I saw that lot in there laughing there’s no way I could support them above the party that’s given me a political home.
“They were sniggering and pointing and laughing and saying, ‘Oh Lee Anderson’s in here, he’s coming back to the Labour party.’
“I saw that and I thought, ‘I’m off’.”
Mr Anderson continued: “So I hope that the Bill succeeds. You know I’ve got my reservations. It has upset me, honestly, over the past 24 hours.
“I hope the bill works, I hope it stops the boats and from now on the Prime Minister’s got my full support.”
30p Lee Anderson explained...#RwandaBill #Rwanda #GeneralElectionNow pic.twitter.com/H9lzkhb7IA
— Wokey McWokeface 🌹💙 (@WokeyMcWokefac3) January 18, 2024
Mr Anderson’s decision highlights how difficult it is for MPs to join an opposing party in the voting lobbies.
But, having taken so many hardman stances on issues, he faced mockery at Westminster and on social media.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "Who knew Lee Anderson was such a delicate flower?
"Anderson and the rebels completely bottled it last night. His excuse sounded more like a remark from an upset child in a school playground than that of a sitting member of Parliament."
A senior Labour MP said: “I’m not sure what the voters of Ashfield will think of it.”
Mr Anderson has caused a series of controversies including arguing that “nuisance tenants” should be moved to live in tents and be made to get up early to pick vegetables, and was dubbed “30p Lee” after claiming people could cook meals from scratch for about “30p a day”.
He was among 60 Rightwingers, many of them in the so-called “Five Families” groups, the New Conservatives, the Common Sense Group, the European Research Group led by Mark Francois, the Northern Research Group, and Liz Truss allies in the Conservative Growth Group, who rebelled by backing amendments to the bill.
But in the end only 11 Tory MPs voted against it including ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and ex-Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke, and Mr Francois.
As the bill was being debated on Wednesday, Lord Barwell, a former Croydon MP and ex-chief of staff to Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, tweeted: “Five families strategy latest:
“Trash the Bill...Trash the PM...Damage your family members chances of re-election...Then vote for the Bill.
“More Dumb & Dumber than Goodfellas.”
