Doncaster Tory MP tells voters to back Reform so Lee Anderson can return to Parliament

Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher said the former Tory deputy chairman, who defected after being suspended earlier this year, was his seat’s “greatest champion”.

He added that he hoped locals in Mr Anderson’s Ashfield constituency “appreciate what he has done for his home town and the country at the next election” adding “we both need to be back in Westminster”.

The Liberal Democrats condemned what they said was further Tory infighting and said Rishi Sunak had to “find his backbone and kick Nick Fletcher out of the Conservative Party”.

His extraordinary comments came after Mr Anderson declared he would not campaign in some Tory constituencies, including Mr Fletcher’s, because of his friendships with the sitting MPs.

Announcing his non-aggression pact, Mr Anderson said he would not campaign against four Tory MPs because "friendship means more".

They include Ben Bradley, the MP for Mansfield, Brendan Clarke-Smith, who represents Bassetlaw and Marco Longhi, the Dudley North MP as well as Mr Fletcher.

In a post he said: "These people are my friends and the ones that reached out to me last month.

"They will always be my friends and because of this I will not campaign against them in their Parliamentary seats.

"Friendship means more to me. Every other seat is fair game."

A Reform UK spokesperson said: "Lee Anderson made it clear from the day he joined Reform UK that he would not personally campaign against a handful of his close friends.

"The party respect this decision and it shows Lee's loyalty to his friends, which goes beyond politics.

"Reform will be standing in these constituencies and will be fighting the Conservatives across the board in England, Wales and Scotland.

"The Tories have betrayed the country by failing to control our borders and allowing our public services to crumble. We will punish them at the general election."

In his own post, Mr Fletcher, who has previously described Mr Anderson as “a great friend” said: “I so wish Lee Anderson MP had remained with the Conservatives. However having lost the whip it would mean the Conservative Party would choose someone other than Lee to fight the election in Ashfield.

“I can understand in those circumstances why he joined Reform. Ashfield has its greatest champion and I hope they appreciate what he has done for his home town and his country at the next election.

“I hope my constituents see that a vote for me in Doncaster is also the right thing to do. I am a lone voice in Parliament shouting up for Doncaster.

“We both need to be back in Westminster along with Ben Bradley MP, Brendan Clarke-Smith MP and Marco Longhi MP.”

In February, Mr Fletcher said: “Sometimes we have to stand up and be counted and support the people we call friends. I believe this is one of those times.

“I have been very fortunate to have known Lee Anderson for four years. He is a great friend.”

Mr Fletcher has repeatedly ruled out following Mr Anderson to Reform, saying that a vote for the party was a vote for Labour and that all the party’s candidates would lose their deposits.