MP Lee Anderson tested positive for Covid-19 just days after a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The meeting meant that Mr Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care with coronavirus in April, was notified by NHS Test and Trace on Sunday that he must self-isolate and remain at Number 10 for 14 days.
In a video message posted on Twitter on Monday morning, Mr Johnson said he would continue to “lead on our response to the virus & our plans to #BuildBackBetter”.
He said he was “in good health” and that he has “no symptoms” after the meeting with Mr Anderson.
The PM was told by test and trace to self-isolate after the meeting
Boris Johnson/TwitterHere’s everything you need to know:
Who is Lee Anderson?
Mr Anderson was a long-time Labour Party member and served as a councillor in the Huthwaite and Brierly ward of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire where he was elected in 2015.
A vocal Brexiteer who supported the Vote Leave campaign, Mr Anderson subsequently defected to the Conservatives in 2018 and was later elected as a Tory councillor for the Oakham ward in Mansfield.
He became the MP for Ashfield following the 2019 general election, succeeding Labour’s Gloria De Piero, who stood down.
As a candidate, he caused outrage of saying that “nuisance” council house tenants should be forced to live in tents and pick vegetables for 12 hours a day from 6am as punishment.
Mr Anderson was among three Tory MPs investigated over allegations of anti-Semitism in December 2019, and was said to be an active member of a Facebook group where George Soros conspiracies were promoted.
In September 2020, Mr Anderson spoke out about other MPs labelling each other “fat old racists” if they supported Brexit.
He also accused Gary Lineker of “virtue signalling” after the Match Of The Day host housed a refugee in his home, saying he should look after “the next boat of illegal immigrants”.When dide Lee Anderson meet Boris Johnsn?
When did Lee Anderson meet Boris Johnson?
The 53-year-old former coal miner said on Facebook that he began experiencing coronavirus symptoms on Friday and, after being tested on Saturday, received a positive result on Sunday morning.
He met with Mr Johnson and a small group of MPs in Downing Street on Thursday morning, which means the Prime Minister is now self-isolating.
Four other Conservative MPs who were at the meeting – Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble), Andy Carter (Warrington South), Lia Nici (Great Grimsby) and Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw) – are also now self-isolating.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will host a No 10 press conference on Monday evening which Mr Johnson had been expected to lead.
