Lee Anderson

A British politician, Lee Anderson is a member of the Conservative Party. He has been serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the constituency of Ashfield, Nottinghamshire since the year 2019. Lee was earlier with Labour Party, but switched sides in 2018. Lee’s win from Ashfield was significant, as this seat has historically been a stronghold of Labour Party. Ever since the constituency came into existence in 1955, it has been retained by Labour Party in most parts. Only for a brief period from 1977 to 1979, the Ashfield constituency was won by Conversative candidate Tim Smith.

With the focus on Brexit, the constituency of Ashfield has witnessed some close contests in recent elections. It is among the constituencies that had voted in favor of Brexit. 2010 general election from Ashfield was among the most closely fought, with Gloria De Piero of Labour Party managing to win over the rival by a margin of just 192 votes. While Gloria received 16,239 votes, primary rival Jason Zadrozny of Liberal Democrats received 16,047 votes.

Things improved for Labour Party in 2015 election, when Gloria won by a significant margin of more than 8k votes. Gloria received 19,448 votes, as compared to 10,628 votes of Conservative Party candidate Helen Harrison. 2017 was yet again a close contest, as Conservative Party managed to gain a vote swing of 19.3%. However, Gloria was still victorious with 21,285 votes. Her primary opponent Tony Harper of Conservative Party received 20,844 votes.

After decades of losing from Ashfield, Conservative Party was finally able to strike a decisive win in 2019 general election. And credit goes to Lee Anderson who received 19,231 votes. Nearest rival was Jason Zadrozny of Ashfield Independents, who received 13,498 votes. Lee is expected to fight in 2024 election and it is predicted that he will retain this constituency.

Early life, education and professional career

Lee Anderson was born on January 06, 1967 in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. He did his schooling from John Davies Primary School and Ashfield School. His father being a coal miner, Lee started out as a coal mining worker. He worked there for around a decade, after which he did volunteer work for Citizens Advice.

Political career

Lee was associated with Labour Party since several years. In 2015, he was elected as a councilor in Ashfield District Council election. He represented Huthwaite and Brierley ward. In 2018, he was suspended, as he was found to be violating policies of Labour Party. This prompted Lee to ditch Labour Party and join Conservative Party. Justifying his decision, Lee had said that Labour Party was being controlled by hard-left.

Personal pursuits

Lee Anderson remains committed to the welfare of people in his constituency. He likes to keep updated with news and current affairs.