"I was right," says prominent Doncaster Conservative as 'Plastic Tory' Lee Anderson quits party

Mr Anderson, the party’s former deputy chairman, revealed he had defected to Richard Tice’s party this morning, ending weeks of speculation about his future.

He was suspended from the party after remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan which were branded Islamophobic.

Following the move, James Hart, who was the Conservative candidate at the last Doncaster mayoral election and also served as a Doncaster councillor, blasted Mr Anderson, describing him as “a plastic Tory.”

And following Mr Anderson’s departure, he said: “The best news I've heard for a few weeks. Seems I was right.”

Mr Anderson was previously a miner and a member of Arthur Scargill’s NUM and became a Labour councillor in 2015 before being suspended by the party in a row over travellers.

He defected to the Conservative Party in 2018 and served as a Conservative councillor on Mansfield District Council before becoming an MP.

Mr Hart shared an archive picture of Mr Anderson clutching a red and yellow “re elect Jeremy Corbyn banner” and wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Not sure what all the fuss about someone who wanted JC (Jeremy Corbyn) to be Prime Minster being kicked our of the party is.

"Should never have been selected in the first place. Plastic Tory.”

Last month, Doncaster Conservative MP Nick Fletcher leapt to the defence of his “great friend” Mr Anderson saying: “He is not a racist.”

Mr Fletcher, who invited Mr Anderson to Doncaster for a speaking engagement just days before his suspension had initially remained tight-lipped but broke his silence, saying he was “standing up for a friend.”

He said: “Sometimes we have to stand up and be counted and support the people we call friends. I believe this is one of those times.

“I have been very fortunate to have known Lee Anderson for four years. He is a great friend - he is not a racist.”

He becomes Reform UK's first ever MP, representing a party polling around 10% of national voting intention.