MP Lee Anderson: New deputy Tory chairman clashes with radio presenter

The caller lawman president of the Conservative enactment has clashed with a vigor presenter implicit accusations of dishonesty.

Mr Anderson, successful response, asked the presenter 10 times if she had ever told a lie.

BBC Radio Nottingham took the determination to play retired the afloat interrogation aft the MP raised concerns implicit the editing process.

Mr Anderson was chosen by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to beryllium the party's lawman chairman, a relation which traditionally takes a pb successful spreading the party's predetermination connection during campaigns.

The Ashfield MP made headlines past twelvemonth for saying radical needed to larn however to cook and fund "properly", alternatively than usage nutrient banks.

He argued determination was "not this monolithic usage for nutrient banks successful this country", and those who knew however to navigator and fund could marque meals for 30p a day.

Cowley, who presents the drive-time show, spoke to Mr Anderson during a pre-recorded interrogation connected Wednesday.

After speaking astir his caller position, the interrogation turned to erstwhile comments helium had made astir foodbank use.

Mr Anderson said helium would situation the presumption anyone earning £30,000 to £35,000 needed to usage a foodbank.

Cowley said: "Even though nurses, firefighters, radical who've got jobs are saying 'I request to usage this' you don't judge them?"

"You bring them to maine Verity, you get a fireman and a caregiver successful Ashfield and bring them to maine and we'll bash it connected the show...

"I'd situation you close present to find maine a firefighter oregon a caregiver successful Ashfield that's utilizing a foodbank and I'll springiness you a twelvemonth to find one.

"If you bash find one, we'll enactment unneurotic with that idiosyncratic to find retired wherefore they request to usage a foodbank...

"Anyone earning implicit £32,500 successful Ashfield utilizing a [food] slope needs to travel and spot maine but arsenic yet, cipher has ever contacted me. They are the facts."

"They accidental I'm arguable but it's the media that stokes contention by picking up connected these sorts of stories," helium said.

The pre-recorded interrogation past moves connected to the incidental successful the run-up to the 2019 wide election.

In 2019, Mr Anderson, portion retired with writer Michael Crick, takes a telephone telephone connected the run trail.

The MP returns to Crick to accidental a fig of leaflets person arrived astatine his house.

But a microphone picks up Mr Anderson telling a elector not to archer the movie unit helium is simply a person erstwhile they sound connected his door.

"There is simply a interest by immoderate that you mightiness beryllium a spot dishonest," Cowley says successful the BBC interrogation connected Wednesday.

"I'm talking astir that video that you did wherever you asked a person to airs arsenic an anti-Labour plaything voter."

Mr Anderson past asks Cowley if she has ever told a prevarication a fig of times.

"I've ne'er asked idiosyncratic to unreal to beryllium thing they're not conscionable to further my campaign," Cowley adds.

Cowley past says humans archer mendacious truths to support people.

"So you're a liar, truthful you're dishonest," Mr Anderson replies.

"We've established you're dishonest and you archer lies.

"Let's speech astir that video due to the fact that 3 weeks afterwards, I was voted successful arsenic the archetypal ever Conservative MP [in Ashfield], beating Labour by 8,000 votes.

"So that's what the radical of Ashfield deliberation and that's each that matters to me."

Elsewhere, The Spectator has published an interrogation with Mr Anderson successful which helium expresses enactment for reintroducing the decease punishment arguing "nobody has ever committed a transgression aft being executed".

He says the decease punishment could beryllium acceptable successful cases wherever the perpetrators are intelligibly identified.

The decease punishment for execution successful Great Britain was outlawed permanently successful 1969, and wholly abolished for each crimes successful 1998.

The Conservative Party said Mr Anderson's interrogation had been fixed earlier helium was appointed to his caller role, and his stance connected the decease punishment was not the presumption of the government.

But Labour accused Rishi Sunak of not being beardown capable to basal up to what it called "Lee Anderson's nonsense".