Lee Anderson's own constituents are campaigning to vote him out

In what cannot be described as an endorsement of any kind, Tory MP Lee Anderson is facing a campaign to unseat him from parliament - from his own constituents.

Locals have launched a new group called Lee Anderson Watch, which is raising money to get rid of the controversial MP, who has in the past ruffled feathers for making insensitive comments about poverty, taking a second job at GB News, moaning about taking the knee to show support for the anti-racism movement and a litany of other scandals.

"The constituency is suffering and its politics is a mess," they wrote on their website. "We need an MP who takes Ashfield seriously."

Speaking to Byline Times, one constituent involved in the group, Jim Cowan, said: “It’s time for Anderson to go. His politics swings from dog-whistle hate speech to acting like a lap dog for the privileged, neither of which are representative of what the majority, either locally or nationally, want or need.

“As someone who has spent a lifetime fighting racism, I find his divisive views, and the extremist company he keeps, at odds with anything resembling decency.”

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He added: “I feel I have been disenfranchised by an MP who ignores my emails (on serious issues) and then blocks me from his social media for asking why I have not received a reply. At the next election, we need to elect an MP who represents his constituents, and who replies to them and converses with them, regardless of views, thus offering representation in Westminster to all.”

The group has raised £215 so far and has 14 supporters registered online. It says it will donate 30p of every £1 raised to local food banks, in what appears to be a nod to one of Anderson's more controversial moments when he claimed people could cook nutritious meals for 30p.

Local resident Arran Rangi said: “We all hope our members of Parliament can represent our views and fight our corner. However, when your MP is Lee Anderson you are not given that opportunity.

“From blocking constituents on social media to ludicrous claims that 30p is enough for a nutritious meal, Lee Anderson has continually shown how he is unfit to represent the people of Ashfield in Parliament. His views on climate change and migration are not just abhorrent, they are dangerous.”

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