Tory MP's Lee Anderson defence immediately backfires

A Tory MP's attempt to defend Lee Anderson after he made... contentious remarks about food banks has backfired.

Last week Anderson sparked outrage after he invited “everybody” on the opposition benches in the Commons to visit a food bank in his Nottinghamshire constituency where people now need to register for a “budgeting course” and a “cooking course” when they come for a food parcel.

Anderson claimed: “I think you’ll see first hand that there’s not this massive use for food banks in this country.

“We’ve got generation after generation who cannot cook properly, they can’t cook a meal from scratch, they cannot budget.”

Following backlash from opposition MPs and charities, Anderson hit back at the reporting of his comments, writing on Facebook: “Gutter Press Again.

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“I did not say poor people cannot cook or there is no need for food banks. I said there is not the need currently being parrotted out by the MSM (mainstream media).

“Today I challenged the whole Parliamentary Labour Party to come to Ashfield to visit the food bank I work with. They give food parcels away on the condition they enroll for cooking and budgeting lessons.

“I have done several events at the foodbank where we batch cooked food on a budget. My offer stands. Come to Ashfield.”

But people weren't placated. So enter Andrew Bridgen to defend his colleague. He shared a comment piece about the story and wrote on Twitter: "Like Lee I represent a former mining community, like Lee I don't bow to the leftwing line, like Lee I listen to the views of the people I represent and not political twitter. It's sad but completely expected to see the vitriolic attacks on a colleague."

People thought his defence was a bit ridiculous and turned his "like Lee" refrain against him:

Time for Tory MPs to stop weighing in on the cost of living crisis, we think...

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