Lee Anderson rails against 'undernourished vegans' and drag queens in Reform UK conference speech

Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, gives a speech at the Reform Party 2024 Conference
-Credit: (Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)


Lee Anderson has doubled down on the Sadiq Khan comments that got him suspended from the Conservative Party - saying the London mayor should be "thoroughly ashamed of himself." The Ashfield MP was originally elected for the Tories in 2019 before the party suspended him in February 2023 over comments made in a GB News interview.

Mr Anderson had said "Islamists" had "got control of Khan and London" and that the practicing Muslim had "given the city away" to "his mates." Later defecting to Reform UK to become its first MP, Mr Anderson was re-elected at the July general election in Ashfield.

Speaking at Reform UK's party conference in Birmingham on Friday (September 20), Mr Anderson dismissed the idea that his Sadiq Khan comments had been controversial. Discussing his Conservative Party suspension, Mr Anderson said: "This was just after a few supposedly controversial comments I made about Mayor Khan.

"I like to think of it as constructive criticism. In my opinion, he has given our capital city away and he should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.

"I was told at the time at the time that I should apologise to Labour's mayor in London. Let me tell you now conference, I will never apologise to that man.

"He's got the cheek to tell us that he doesn't feel safe in London. He's got bodyguards, armoured car, 24-hour security, he's in charge of the Met Police - and he doesn't feel safe? How does he think the 10 million people that live in London feel under his leadership?"

Mr Anderson came out on stage to the chant "here we go, here we go, here we go", with the Ashfield MP declaring: "Well that were brilliant that were." Mr Anderson's speech lasted around half an hour and railed against everything from the Black Lives Matter movement to "undernourished vegans" wearing "Jesus sandals."

Ripping up a TV licence reminder on stage, Mr Anderson also spoke about a time when schoolchildren "did not have to sit down and listen to a six foot five drag queen read stories to them." Reform UK's conference is being held over two days and is set to be rounded off by a speech from party leader Nigel Farage.