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Former Conservative vice-president Lee Anderson is expected to announce his defection to the Reform UK party this morning.
The move, first reported by The Telegraph and confirmed by a Tory insider, will give the right-wing populist party its first MP.
Anderson was stripped of his Conservative seat last month for failing to apologize after claiming London and its Labor mayor Sadiq Khan were in the grip of Islamists.
The MP for Ashfield had not ruled out joining Reform in the following weeks.
Reform UK will hold a press conference to make a “major announcement” at 10.30am in Westminster, but declined to comment on reports of Anderson’s defection.
Anderson and the Conservative Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This is a developing story.