In his Nottinghamshire constituency, Lee Anderson has long been considered a Marmite character, attracting staunch supporters and vehement critics alike, and the reaction to his latest comments proved no different. Some said they felt Anderson had been punished unfairly for his statements about the London mayor on Friday, which have been labelled Islamophobic and led to him losing the Conservative whip. Others said they were horrified by his words and believed his suspension from the Tory party had been a long time coming. “It was bang out of order. He’s an embarrassment,” said James Bond, 40, who was out buying supplies for his latest job, building a play area for a nearby SEN children’s centre. “We need proper grown-up politics and I think his days in power are numbered around here. I certainly won’t be voting for him and this has been a long time coming in my opinion.”
On Friday, Anderson sparked outrage when he claimed on GB News that “Islamists” had “got control of London” and its mayor, Sadiq Khan. He has refused to apologise, saying his comments were “right” but that the wording “may have been clumsy”. In a statement, he said: “It is not my intention to upset anyone, I believe in free speech and have 100% respect for people of all backgrounds.”
His refusal to apologise led to the whip being withdrawn. Rishi Sunak said his words were “wrong” but he did not call them Islamophobic and the party has not ruled out Anderson being allowed to return. Extra police patrols have been brought in around Anderson’s constituency office in Sutton-in-Ashfield, in the heart of his former “red wall” seat. But on the streets of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, a former coalmining town in the constituency, there were still many people who backed their MP and felt his comments will have resonated with many. “We’re not allowed to say anything, are we? He made a comment, whether it was right or wrong, I don’t know. He just said his opinion but it hasn’t fallen on the right ears and it’s upset people,” said Michael Swain, 72, who formerly worked in engineering. He thinks support for Anderson runs at about 50/50 in the constituency and he does not believe his words will have done much damage. “I think the people who have supported him in the past will still support him now,” he said. A woman passing by, who chose not to give her name, voiced strong support for Anderson. “I agree with everything he said. At least he’s telling the truth that a lot of people daren’t open their mouth and say. But they’re calling him racist. I think it’s wrong what they have done to him,” she said. But there were also signs the tide was beginning to turn against Anderson, with some people saying that while they had previously voted for him, they would not do so again.
Caroline Cutts, 56, said it was partly Anderson’s outspoken opinions, particularly his frequent appearances on GB News that she said was “stirring the pot”, along with her dissatisfaction with the Conservative party more generally that had changed her vote. “He’s very controversial, isn’t he? I won’t be voting Conservative next time,” she said, adding that although she wasn’t sure Anderson had meant to be racist, his comments were too “close to the mark”. “I used to like him but I’ve gone off him a bit in recent times. I thought he was doing quite a bit of good but now I’m not so sure,” she said. Bond said: “I think he was only voted in off the back of Brexit. His dog-whistling politics appeals to a certain majority around here, but even here I think his days are numbered because people are just sick of the Tories. I think we’ll see him with the Reform party next.” The constituency, which is 95% white according to the 2021 census, has high levels of deprivation in some areas and 70% of people voted in favour of Brexit in 2016. Julie, 57, who asked not to give her surname, said she went to the same school as Anderson for a number of years during their childhood and she was no great fan of his. “I think he deserves [the suspension] for what he said, to be honest. I think if you’re in power, you’ve got to behave in a certain way,” she said. “I don’t think he represents what everyone else feels.” She said she still felt Anderson lacked credibility after he previously switched from the Labour party to the Conservatives. “I just feel like he’s sold out because he’s gone from one side to the other,” she said. “It makes you lose faith in what he stands for.” • This article was amended on 26 February 2024 to delete a photograph of Sutton-in-Ashfield that had been incorrectly captioned as Kirkby-in-Ashfield.