Parliament has been hit with a new scandal

Parliament has been hit with a new scandal, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK forced to deny it offered cash to the Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson to defect.

Anderson, who is no stranger to controversy, was recorded telling Tory activists last month: “A political party that begins with an R offered me a lot of money to join them. I mean a lot of money, I mean a lot of money.”

The leaked recording was obtained by the Sunday Times, and was from a “lagers with Lee” meeting at Cambridge rugby club, hosted by the South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association.

Richard Tice, the current leader of Reform, rejected the allegations made by Anderson. He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “Let me make it absolutely clear, no cash or money has in any way been offered. What has been offered is the chance to change the shape of the debate.”

He added: “What’s really happened here is that Lee Anderson has used the threat of defecting to Reform to negotiate himself the deputy chairmanship of the Tory party because this story first appeared almost exactly the same, in the time back in February when coincidentally, he was made deputy chairman of the Tory party.

“I’m very happy to confirm that I’ve had numerous discussions with a number of Tory MPs, ministers, former ministers, who are absolutely furious with the complete betrayal of the Government’s promises, furious with the failure to stop the boats, furious with opening the borders to mass immigration.”

It’s also been reported that the Conservative chief whip, Simon Hart, had reported Reform UK to the Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, over allegations that the party had offered MPs who defected a full salary for five years – even if the politicians lost their seats.

Anderson. who has his own show on GB News, then issued a statement, hitting back at Tice’s claims and clarified the nature of the offer allegedly made by Reform UK. He told GB News: “From time to time politicians do meet other politicians from different political parties.

“At one such meeting I was offered the chance to join another party for the following deal – I join within a few months and stand for this Party at the next election.

“If I lost my seat I would be guaranteed a job with the party for five years on the same salary as an MP. To falsely claim that I used this as leverage to get the position of deputy chairman is an insult to me and my party.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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