Lee Anderson dubs Reform UK leader Richard Tice ‘pound shop Farage’

Sign up for the View from Westminster electronic mail for skilled evaluation straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster electronic mail

Senior Conservative Lee Anderson has clashed Richard Tice after dubbing the Reform UK celebration leader a “pound shop Nigel Farage”.

The deputy Tory chairman instructed Mr Tice to “pipe down” in his assaults on the federal government, because the right-wing rivals squabble firstly of a basic election yr.

Mr Anderson has beforehand branded Reform UK “amateurs”, after claiming he was supplied a “guaranteed” job for 5 years on £80,000 wage to defect to the celebration.

The senior Tory renewed his spat with the rebel celebration, as hypothesis mounts that Mr Farage might return to take up a prime position for Reform UK within the election marketing campaign.

“I get on with Richard reasonably well, but I would say this – he’s not Nigel Farage, he’s not the leader that Nigel Farage was,” Mr Anderson instructed GB News.

“In fact, I agree with one of my constituents, who said to me earlier today he is a bit of a pound shop Nigel Farage,” he mentioned.

The Tory deputy chairman added: “I think he’s a pound shop Nigel Farage and every time he opens his mouth recently on whichever media platform, he is coming across as Reform’s answer to Diane Abbott. He’s just saying ridiculous things.”

“I think he needs to pipe down a little bit,” Mr Anderon added. “Because if the unthinkable happens and next year, we do get a Labour government and Richard Tice is on his media platforms, saying what a disaster ‘Starmergeddon’ and … the Labour party are, I shall be reminding Mr Tice it was him that helped them get elected.”

Mr Tice – who warned in a speech on Wednesday that Labour would carry on “Starmergeddon” – fired again at Mr Anderson on LBC radio on Thursday.

The Reform UK leader mentioned: “Lee, who I like and is a nice guy, is terrified that he’s going to lose his seat.”

“And perhaps he’s just a bit jealous that I’m pound shop, and he’s 30p Lee,” Mr Tice added.

The reference is to “30p Lee” nickname given to Mr Anderson by anti-government campaigners for his feedback dismissing meals financial institution use and declare that meals might be cooked from scratch “for about 30 pence a day”.

The Reform UK leader “categorically” dominated out any cope with the Tories on the 2024 basic election throughout a launch speech for the lengthy marketing campaign on Wednesday.

Mr Tice insisted Reform wouldn’t do a cope with the Conservatives underneath any circumstances. And he claimed Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir have been “socialist twins”.

In 2019, the group – referred to as the Brexit Party on the time – stood down lots of of candidates to assist Boris Johnson safe a majority.

He gave his strongest trace that his predecessor Mr Farage will tackle a frontline position within the election marketing campaign – although the latter was notably absent from the launch, suggesting it’s unlikely he’ll make an eighth bid to develop into an MP.

Luke Tryl, director at More in Common, mentioned Reform might see the Tories lose greater than 30 further seats – together with chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s South West Surrey constituency

The pollster instructed The Independent: “Reform could well be the difference between a hung parliament and a Labour majority.”

Earlier this week Mr Anderson admitted Mr Farage’s celebration is a serious risk on the best – lashing out on the rivals being a “bigger threat to the country at the moment than the Labour Party”.

Mr Anderson – handed a key position by Mr Sunak earlier this yr – revealed in November that he was supplied a five-year job with Reform UK on an £80,000 wage if he defected to the celebration.

The deputy chairman denied accusations by Mr Tice that he had used the provide as leverage to get the senior position within the Tory celebration.

Mr Tice denied that any “cash or money” has been supplied to Tory MPs to affix – however mentioned he has held “numerous discussions” with Tories apprehensive about Mr Sunak.