Lee Anderson accused the Conservative Party of stifling "free speech" by suspending him for widely criticised remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan, as he announced his defection to Reform UK.The MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, who was kicked out of the Tories last month over an Islamophobia row, said he found it "unpalatable" that he had been disciplined for "speaking my mind".

Lee Anderson accused the Conservative Party of stifling "free speech" by suspending him for widely criticised remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan, as he announced his defection to Reform UK.The MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, who was kicked out of the Tories last month over an Islamophobia row, said he found it "unpalatable" that he had been disciplined for "speaking my mind".