'Hold on grandad, come outside and we'll sort it out'
Andrew Bridgen was expelled from the Conservative Party yesterday after comparing Covid-19 vaccines to the holocaust. He doesn’t seem to be taking the news well.
According to reports, the now independent MP had an aggressive altercation with the deputy chair of the Conservative Party Lee Anderson in a parliamentary dining room.
Bridgen was hosting ex-Tory Councillor Sebastian Leslie in the Commons, and accounts suggest that the pair became involved in an altercation with Anderson following Bridgen’s expulsion.
Bridgen is said to have been upset by Tory officials publicising his expulsion despite him still be eligible to appeal the decision.
Anderson has said: “I was having lunch with two friends when an angry looking Andrew Bridgen walked over with his friend”.
He continued: “Andrew spoke briefly to one of my guests who he knew but then turned his attentions to me in a rude and aggressive manner.
“I literally had no idea what he was talking about and then both men left. After apologising to my guests for the outburst, I then walked over to Mr Bridgen’s table to express my disapproval.”
The altercation then continued, according to reports. Leslie says he said “hold on Lee”, because “he was being so bloody rude to [Andrew] Bridgen”.
Leslie then alleges that Anderson said “Hold on grandad, come outside and we’ll sort it out”. Leslie then asked Anderson whether he wanted to use “pistols or claymores”. He accuses Anderson of being “aggressive and out of control”.
Both Lee Anderson and Andrew Bridgen are among the more colourful Tory MPs.
Bridgen has been expelled recently, but has a long string of controversies, ranging from Covid conspiracy theories to breaches of lobbying rules.
Anderson, meanwhile has attracted criticism for saying ‘nuisance’ council tenants should be forced to live in tents, using antisemitic dog whistles to criticise the National Trust and telling food bank users that they can’t budget or cook.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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