Lee Anderson would 'love' debate between Sunak, Starmer and Farage
Lee Anderson has thrown down the gauntlet for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, telling him he should be “prepared and brave enough” to debate Nigel Farage prior to the general election.
And Reform UK’s first MP and only MP has also slapped down critics of Mr Farage after the Brexiteer was branded both Islamophobic and antisemitic, hotly rejecting the claims.
Mr Anderson was put on the spot by GB News presenter Patrick Christys, who asked him to justify Mr Farage’s demand to participate in a general election debate with Rishi Sunak, given the former Brexit Party leader is not standing as a candidate in July 4’s general election.
Mr Anderson replied: “I think as the Prime Minister Patrick, you should be prepared and brave enough to debate anybody and Nigel is a real threat.
“When it comes to debating in public, there's nobody better in this country.
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Lee Anderson said Rishi Sunak should debate with Nigel Farage (Image: GB News/GETTY)
“With Rishi Sunak, you've got a fair point in that there's probably only him and Keir Starmer that can be the PM in five weeks’ time.
“But you know, the great British public would love to see a debate with Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, they would love that, especially if it would on GB News.”
Ex-UKIP leader Mr Farage has also faced scrutiny in recent days after telling Sky News’s Trevor Phillips many British Muslims “do not subscribe to British values”.
But Reform UK’s only MP - who defected from the Conservatives in April - leapt to the defence of his party’s honorary president when quizzed on the subject.
Nigel Farage is the former leader of both UKIP and the Brexit Party (Image: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
Mr Christys, who said Mr Farage had “faced quite a lot of serious allegations”, explained: “He was simultaneously accused of being both antisemitic and Islamophobic, which many people regard as being quite the achievement if both of those things were true.
“Do you think that there is a bit of a racism cloud hanging over Reform?”
Ashfield MP Mr Anderson replied: “No, absolutely not fair. This is what the left in politics do all the time. When they start losing the debate on any single subject they always play the race card.
“It’s absolute nonsense. I know Nigel Farage quite well and I'd class him as a friend and he is not racist.
“I’ve been accused in the past of being racist and Islamophobic as yet nobody can provide a shred of evidence to do to prove that I was Islamophobic or, or racist or anything like that is absolute nonsense.
“They use this all the time, Patrick.” Mr Anderson was suspended as a Tory MP over remarks he made about London Mayor Sadiq Khan in February, also on GB News.
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Lee Anderson talking to Patrick Christys (Image: GB News)
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He said: "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London… He's actually given our capital city away to his mates."
He had the Tory whip withdrawn after refusing the apologise for his remarks.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice has dismissed as "banter" a suggestion by Nigel Farage that he could be open to a deal with the Tories.
Mr Farage suggested "we might have a conversation" about what the Conservatives could offer Reform, but Mr Tice insisted he was joking and there is no prospect of a pact.
Rishi Sunak has already ruled out a deal with Reform, which is putting pressure on the Tories over issues including immigration policy.
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