Depending on your political instincts he’s a prime candidate for the “worst man in Britain”, no-nonsense voice of the people, or pugnacious darling of the Tory right.
Lee Anderson defends his inability to swerve controversy by claiming that what might make parliamentarians blanch, the people of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, unequivocally back.
“If I say something that is supposedly outrageous in that place [the Commons], I get back to Ashfield on a Thursday, people will come out the shops and say, ‘You say what I’m thinking,’” says the pro-death penalty former miner.
Do they, though?
Yesterday afternoon on the streets of Kirkby-in-Ashfield – five days after Rishi Sunak appointed him deputy chairman of the Conservative party – Anderson’s straight talking schtick wasn’t landing as favourably as he might broadcast.
In particular, his views on capital punishment weren’t playing well. Coming out of one shop in the market town – in this case Kirkby Sales and Exchange – was Karl Woods.
The 27-year-old said Anderson’s views on the death penalty betrayed the man’s character. “He’s not a nice person at all. Those death penalty views are just so archaic.”
Woods said that in three years of working at the “exchange,” Anderson hadn’t visited once. “He even turned down one of our Christmas giveaway prizes, because it’s pre-owned; he probably thought he was a bit above it.”
Others worry about his appetite for fostering division. Cecilia Powell has lived in Kirkby for all her 72 years and cannot think of a local MP less suited to the job.
“He’s a bit of a prat,” she smiled. “I wish he would just keep his mouth shut and get on with the job.”
Anderson shows little appetite for adopting a more discreet strategy. Within 48 hours of being promoted by Sunak he had lauded capital punishment as “100% effective” and urged Royal Navy frigates to ferry asylum seekers “straight back” to France. A day later he clashed on air with a BBC journalist who raised previous accusations of dishonesty by the MP.
Anderson’s favourite Kirkby pub is the aptly named Dog House. Inside, teenage barman Ollie Waite was preparing for the afternoon rush but still found time to rubbish the views on immigration of its most famous patron. “We should be helping people who are fleeing to the UK, not turning them away,” said the 19-year-old.
Away from the market town, most know Anderson for suggesting families using food banks were victims of poor budgeting and could live on meals cooked for mere pennies, hence the nickname “30p Lee”.
Outside Kirkby’s library, business apprentice Molly Cunningham, 18, said Anderson’s stance on poverty continued to hurt.
“He’s from a working-class community, he’s meant to be the person who backs you. He’s on such a huge amount of money and yet he’s decided to show no sympathy. As for the 30p meal, what about the nutrition? What’s he expecting us to live on? Gruel?”
A year since the Daily Mirror dubbed the 56-year-old MP the “worst man in Britain” after attacking England’s footballers for “taking the knee,” some residents retain faith in their MP, lauding his knack for telling it like it is. Some, in fact, believe he is not forthright enough.
“He’s on the right track if you ask me, but instead of the death penalty I’d go for a little bit of torture every week, teach them a lesson. It’s too easy to execute,” said a shopper outside the library who didn’t want to be named.
One repeated accusation is the claim that Anderson is increasingly more preoccupied with his self image than the woes of his constituents. Sarah Lynch who runs the Fresh-4-You-Bakery in the precinct said the town needed help, not a one-man publicity machine.
Gesturing at the neighbouring empty shops, the 34-year-old said: “We need to increase footfall in the town, help local businesses. Places are closing down. It’s getting very tough.”
But can he win again? Anderson secured nearly 40% of the vote in the 2019 election when Ashfield turned blue as part of the Red Wall intake of Tory MPs. Few in Kirkby expect a repeat.
“No one’s going to make that mistake again. [Boris] Johnson’s gone, Anderson’s a wally, the town’s dying,” said Chris Foster, an unemployed 31-year-old.
Others are on the fence. “If he can keep his trap closed tight for a year, I’ll consider voting for him,” said former teaching assistant Rachel Atkins. “But let’s face it, at this rate there’s not much chance of that.”
