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 Ash field, Nottinghamshire since the year 2019. Lee was earlier with Labor Party, but switched sides in 2018. Lee’s win from Ash field was significant, as this seat has historically been a stronghold of Labor Party. Ever since the constituency came into existence in 1955, it has been retained by Labor Party in most parts. Only for a brief period from 1977 to 1979, the Ash field constituency was won by Conservative 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.
Anderson was born in Nottinghamshire, attending John Davies Primary School and Ashfield School. His father was a coal miner. Anderson worked as a coal miner for 10 years and then volunteered for Citizens Advice for another decade.
Local political career
Anderson was a longtime member of the Labour Party and was elected as a councillor in the 2015 Ashfield District Council election and represented Huthwaite and Brierley ward. He was suspended in February 2018 by the local branch of the Labour Party after receiving a community protection warning by the council for using boulders to block members of the Traveller community from setting up camp at a site in the area. The following month, Anderson defected to the Conservative Party which he stated was a response to the "takeover" of the Labour Party by the "hard-left" particularly through the left-wing political organisation Momentum. He was elected as a Conservative councillor on the Mansfield District Council representing the Oakham ward between 2019 and 2021.
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.
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