Lee Anderson called ‘arrogant’ for boasting about second job at GB News during Parliamentary debate
The Reform MP, previously a vocal critic of second jobs, said he wasn’t worried about losing his MP job because his GB News role ‘pays very handsomely’
Reform MP Lee Anderson has been called “arrogant” for saying he isn’t worried about losing his job as an MP, because his role at GB News “pays very handsomely”.
As reported by Politics.co.uk, speaking in a Westminster Hall debate about antisocial behaviour on Tuesday, Anderson said that he had visited Singapore with the home affairs committee during the last parliament.
Anderson said he saw no antisocial behaviour or police there as the consequences of ASB are “a little bit more severe” than in the UK.
The Reform MP said the town centre in his constituency, Sutton-in-Ashfield, “is full of yobs, drunkards and people on drugs”.
Anderson’s proposed solution to ASB was that “if those yobs who keep returning are living on state benefits, we should stop the benefits”.
He asked: “Why do we not just kick them out of their social housing, stop the benefits and create some real repercussions?”.
Reacting to Anderson’s comments, Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson said: “I will start by reflecting on the comments of the hon. Member for Ashfield (Lee Anderson), who suggested that we should make more people homeless in order to tackle antisocial behaviour.
“I suggest to him that homeless people may be more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour and annoy his constituents.”
Wilkinson then referred to the Reform politician expressing “admiration for Singapore”, noting that in Singapore “smoking in public is regarded as antisocial behaviour” and that the Reform leader “might have views on that”.
The Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson added: “Given the hon. Member’s own past conduct in Parliament—the behaviour that he engaged in with House of Commons staff—he might reflect that he might be out of pocket to the tune of several thousands of pounds if Singapore-style laws were introduced in the UK.”
In November 2024, Anderson had to make an apology to a security guard and the House of Commons after he was found guilty of behaviour that “constituted bullying, and also harassment”.
Giving evidence in the Independent Expert Panel’s investigation, the member of parliamentary security said Anderson had told him to “fuck off” when he asked the then Tory MP to show his parliamentary pass.
In response to Wilkinson’s comments, Anderson said: “I am not worried about losing my job here. I have a GB News job that pays very handsomely as well.”
The Reform politician added: “On his point about me trying to make people homeless, if there is a feral family living next door to me, my friends, my relatives or my constituents, I have absolutely no problem at all with kicking them out and letting other residents have a peaceful life.”
Wilkinson responded: “It is instructive that the honorable member is boasting about his second job in this debate.”
At least one MP could be heard saying “the arrogance” in response to Anderson talking about his second job.
The Reform MP’s comment about his role at GB News is all the more ironic, as not so long ago, he said MPs should not take second jobs.
Now, he earns £100,000 a year from his weekly GB News show.
In a Facebook post from 2021, Anderson hit out at MPs who took second jobs for £100,000, saying: “We are paid handsomely for the job we do and if you need extra then you should really be looking for another job.”
Perhaps Anderson might take his own advice.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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