New Tory deputy chairman MP Lee Anderson facing libel proceedings after 'defamatory bribery claims'
The new Conservative deputy chairman, Lee Anderson, is facing libel proceedings after he 'made defamatory allegation of bribery' against a foodbank manager from Nottinghamshire.
Legal firm Bindmans LLP said its client, Michael Hollis who runs a foodbank in Sutton-in-Ashfield, considered remarks that Lee Anderson made about a planning application submitted in his name to be defamatory.
Mr Hollis’s solicitors said the Ashfield MP had 'refused to remove' the Facebook post where he said that money had 'changed hands in brown envelopes' in relation to the planning application.
In a statement published on its website on Monday, the firm said: “On February 1, 2023, Mr Anderson made defamatory allegations of bribery against a local man, Michael Hollis, who runs a food bank charity.
The firm adds: “Mr Anderson claimed in a Facebook post published to his 35,000 followers that money had changed hands in brown envelopes in relation to a planning application made by Mr Hollis.
“Mr Hollis is outraged by this allegation and, after Mr Anderson refused to remove his post, has taken the first steps towards a libel claim against him.”
Mr Anderson’s social media post included a screenshot of a planning application made in Mr Hollis’s name, referring to a property in Silverhill Lane, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.
It was listed as a valid application on December 12, 2022, with a decision due by February 6.
Mr Anderson, who has been approached for comment, was given the role of deputy to newly-appointed Tory chairman Greg Hands last week by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The politician is known for his often controversial political opinions, most recently including his comments on supporting bringing back the death penalty - saying he would support it because “nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed”.
It was a comment which he doubled down on in an interview with ITV News Central's political correspondent Alison Mackenzie.