No 10 braced for prospect of more Reform defections as Lee Anderson quits

Rishi Sunak warned by some in his own party he ‘cannot pretend any longer’ his strategy is working

Downing Street is braced for more defections after Lee Anderson quit the party for Reform UK, with MPs warning Rishi Sunak that he “cannot pretend any longer” his strategy is working.

The former Conservative party deputy chair’s defection will alarm former colleagues worried at support draining away to the Nigel Farage-formed party. Anderson lost the party whip last month over comments he made about Sadiq Khan, which were condemned as Islamophobic.