Lee Anderson has ripped up a BBC license fee reminder while speaking on stage during Reform UK’s press conference in the East Midlands.
He declared that he would not pay a license which goes towards supporting the pensions of individuals including Huw Edwards.
In response, Anderson received a raucous welcome from audience members as he shredded the document.
The move has come months after he ripped up a BBC license fee letter at Reform’s Birmingham party conference in September, branding the corporation a mistake.
The Reform chief whip made the bold move on stage in the East Midlands, which was met with cheers from the audience
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Anderson also used his speech as an opportunity to hit out at Sadiq Khan’s knighthood.
The MP for Ashfield joked that he aspired to be on next year’s New Year’s Honours list, adding that all he had to do was “make sure that our streets are unsafe” and “steal money from motorists”, in a thinly veiled swipe at Labour London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
He will be joined on stage by deputy leader Richard Tice and leader Nigel Farage, to address members in Leicester today and tomorrow.
The conference has followed an announcement from former Conservative MP Marco Longhi that he has switched allegiance from the Tories to Nigel Farage’s party.
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Longhi served as the MP for Dudley North from 2019 to 2024, and announced his defection while warning “the party of Churchill and Thatcher has transformed into something unrecognisable”.
His announcement today reads: “Today, I am proud to announce my transition from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, marking a significant step in my commitment to serving the people of our great nation.
“As a long-standing member of the Conservative Party, I have always remained loyal to my principles and values, but above all, my dedication to you – the people – has always driven my political career.”
Hitting out at his former party, he continued: “”The Conservative Party I once identified with – the party of Churchill and Thatcher – has transformed into something unrecognisable, captured by a left-wing influence that masquerades as conservatism at election time, while prioritising the wishes of an elite few when in power.”
After Reform won five seats in the General Election, its membership has been on the rise
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The party’s leader took to Twitter to welcome the latest Tory defection, writing: “Another Conservative defector to Reform UK. A warm welcome to Marco Longhi.”
The latest blow to Kemi Badenoch has occurred amidst an ongoing spat between Farage and the Tory leader, who accused the party of “faking” its membership ticker on Boxing Day after Reform’s membership numbers surpassed the Tories’.
After the party’s ticker was verified by several news outlets, he demanded an apology from the Tory leader before his appearance at Reform UK’s conference tonight.
Farage wrote online: “An apology has not been forthcoming from Kemi Badenoch regarding her crazy conspiracy theories about Reform UK.”
“I will be giving my full response at a sold out conference tonight in Leicester.”
