A Twitter spat has emerged between Lee Anderson, thel MP for Ashfield, and the TV presenter Carol Vorderman. It started with Vorderman tweeting about some Conservative MPs not including their political party in their Twitter bio – and descended into disputes over grammar and the pair telling each other to “act your age”.
It started when Vorderman tweeted: “I WANT YOUR HELP. I've noticed a number of Tory MP & councillors removing mention of them being Tories from their social media profiles. I'd like to collate them and do some statistical work on this (you know I like numbers!). CAN YOU SCREENSHOT ANY YOU FIND AND POST HERE?”
She went on to post about a number of Conservative MP's who didn't mention their party allegiance in the bio, including former Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, and COP26 President Alok Sharma. She then posted about Anderson.
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Sharing another Twitter user's screenshot of the MP's bio, she wrote: “So it goes on. Lee Anderson, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party who doesn’t tell us which party he is the “deputy chairman” of ? I suspect a rebranding and change from Tory blue this year.”
The screenshot she shared showed Anderson's bio to read: “Member of Parliament for Ashfield. All views are my own and the vast majority of the country.” Vorderman's comment about the possibility of him changing the colour scheme of his Twitter was a reference to some other Conservative MPs and councillors using the colour green in some of their pictures and leaflets, rather than the party's traditional blue.
Anderson then changed his bio and tweeted himself, saying: “For Clarity. Some lefties with nowt else better to do are saying Tory MPs are removing 'Conservative MP' from their bios. What rubbish. If you do not know which party an MP represents then you need to get out more. However I have updated my bio just in case. Great stuff.”
His new bio read: “Ex Coal Miner & now the proud Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashfield & Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.” He also commented on Vorderman's post, writing: “Think you need to check my bio again. Oh and whilst your at it act your age.”
Vorderman then hit back, writing in a new post: “I'm howling laughing. @LeeAndersonMP_ quickly changed his bio from NOT including Conservative to now, since my tweet earlier, adding a Tory reference. Then he tells me to "act your age". Lee luv, get a grip.”
Then in a follow up tweet, she corrected Anderson's grammar in his initial reply when he used the phrase “while your at it”. Vorderman wrote: “I know I shouldn't BUT @LeeAndersonMP_ it's 'you're' not 'your'.”
She then went on to reference a story from 2019, in which Anderson allegedly asked a friend to pretend to be a swing-voter who had been convinced to vote Conservative in front of the cameras. Hitting back at the MP's suggestion she act her age, Vorderman added: “Also, quick question on the age/behaviour issue (which you brought up). At what age should a Member of Parliament stop asking his mate to lie for him on camera? You being an expert...”
Many people took Vorderman's side in the Twitter spat, with Dave writing: “They aren't even proud or confident about their own party. It's laughable.” Meanwhile, Lucy added that she felt MP's not including their party allegiance in their bio is “disingenuous”.
But Stuart was more supporting of Anderson, praising him for changing his bio. He said: “Well said Mr Anderson, my bio has the fact I’m a Tory member. I am proud to be centre right.”
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