Lee Anderson condemned for saying he would give Manchester Airport police officer a medal

Reform UK MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson - also known as “30p Lee” - is back in the news for yet more controversial remarks, this time turning his attention to the case of a Greater Manchester Police officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man who was handcuffed and held in a prone position at Manchester Airport.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation of the force, with many describing it as a case of “police brutality”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that he “understands the public’s concern” and that the home secretary would be meeting with the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, that same day.

Yvette Cooper said in her own comments on the incident: “I share the deep concern surrounding the video and understand the widespread distress it will have caused … It is essential that the police continue to have the trust of communities and the public rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe.”

In an initial statement on Wednesday, Burnham described the footage as “disturbing” and also recognised the “widespread and deep concern” it has caused.

Greater Manchester Police has issued three separate statements after the video circulated online on Wednesday, with the first stating firearms officers were “called to reports of an altercation between members of the public” at Terminal 2 of the airport on Tuesday.

It continued: “Whilst attempting to arrest one of the suspects of the earlier altercation, three officers were subject to a violent assault, where they were punched to the ground. A female officer suffered a broken nose and all three were taken to hospital for treatment.

“As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.

“Four men were arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers.”

A follow-up statement later that day confirmed a male officer has been “removed from operational duties” and that the force has voluntarily referred its handling of the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct – which has since announced it has launched a criminal investigation into the “use of force”.

One officer was then confirmed to have been suspended from all duties, as Greater Manchester Police reiterated that it understood the “concerns” which have been raised.

The solicitor for the family involved in the incident, Akhmed Yakoob, said the condition of 19-year-old Muhammad Fahir Amaazhad had worsened, with a CT scan showing a “cyst on his brain”.

Yet in amongst the more sensitive and considered responses from senior politicians, Anderson told the BBC the police officers in question “should be commended”.

“In fact, I’d give them a medal,” he declared.

Fellow Reform UK MP Richard Tice also expressed support for the action shown by the officers, telling Talk TV’s Jeremy Kyle that the footage was “not distressing”, but in fact “reassuring”.

Anderson has since trended on Twitter/X following his remarks, with the “Parody Keir Starmer” account branding the MP a “divisive s***-stirrer” and another user describing the remarks as “disgusting” and “dangerously irresponsible”.

Reacting to the comments on the BBC’s Politics Live, Foreign Office minister Baroness Chapman said Anderson – the parliamentary whip for a party of just five MPs – was “completely wrong” to “rush to a conclusion” while not being “in full possession of all the facts”.

Anderson has since addressed his trending on Twitter/X by telling people to “get used to this”.

Given your name has trended in the past following controversial comments about the cost of living and Sadiq Khan, Lee, many of us already have.

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