Lee Anderson and Nick Robinson clash in fiery exchange on the Today show as Reform MP says it would be 'music to the ears' of Gary Lineker and BBC if his new party didn't stand in local elections

Lee Anderson and Nick Robinson clashed contiguous aft the Reform Party was accused of taking votes distant from the Tories successful local elections.

The erstwhile lawman Conservative president was sacked from the Tory enactment aft helium refused to apologise for claiming that successful London, 'the information is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are successful complaint now'.

After losing the whip, helium became an autarkic earlier joining the Reform Party, which was founded arsenic the Brexit Party by Nigel Farage.

Anderson started his governmental vocation arsenic a councillor for Labour successful 2015 earlier being suspended by his section subdivision for blocking Travellers from mounting up a campy successful 2018 earlier helium defected to the Tories.

In a heated statement connected BBC Radio 4 Today, the journeyman person claimed BBC stalwarts specified arsenic Nick Robinson and Gary Lineker would beryllium gladsome if Reform didn't basal successful section elections.

Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives had a disastrous predetermination nighttime that saw Labour triumph the Blackpool South by-election.

The Tory campaigner hardly negociate to propulsion Reform into 3rd place, by conscionable 117 votes. 

This morning, Robinson asked Anderson: 'Is this what you wanted to execute erstwhile you defected to the Reform party?'

Anderson replied: 'I didn't defect, let's get that right, you're incorrect again. I was an autarkic MP erstwhile I joined the Reform Party, truthful if you're going to behaviour this interrogation professionally, let's get the facts right.'

Robinson retorted: 'You were a Conservative, you were an bureau holder successful the Conservative Party and joined different party.'

Anderson said: 'Look, listen, I didn't defect. Stop being truthful ridiculous. I was an autarkic MP and I joined the Reform Party. I didn't defect from 1 enactment to another.'

Finally, Robinson accepted that Anderson was concisely an autarkic earlier helium joined Reform.

Anderson added: 'That's cleared that nonsense up, consecutive away. 

'So it was a bully nighttime for Labour, let's beryllium honest. It was a very, precise mediocre nighttime for the Conservative Party.

'We got astir 17 per cent present successful Blackpool, which is tremendous. That's supra our polling nationally.

'Up and down the state we did well.'

Robinson past asked whether a ballot for Reform was a ballot for Labour, arsenic the Tories person suggested and the polls look to confirm.

He said: 'What they say, your aged friends successful the Conservative Party, which conscionable to punctual you, you were Deputy Chairman of, what they accidental is, you ballot betterment and you get Labour.

'John Curtis, the renowned psephologist, points retired that successful the areas you ran, the Conservative ballot was down 17 per cent connected mean but it was lone down 11 per cent wherever you didn't run. So it is intelligibly the lawsuit that you harm the Conservatives, isn't it?'

Anderson, infuriated again, said: 'First of all, I don't cognize wherefore you person to support reminding maine that I was a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. I deliberation anybody who is funny successful authorities would person known that anyway, truthful that's a beauteous pointless remark again from you.

'But you look astatine a batch of the polls up and down the country, and successful a batch of the assembly elections we saw past night, Labour are getting 50, 60 per cent of the vote.

'So you could've knocked each the Reform and the Conservative votes and the Green votes and the autarkic votes unneurotic and the Labour Party would've inactive won.'

Robinson replied: 'But wherever you ran against the Conservatives the ballot went down much than erstwhile you didn't tally against the Conservatives, that's conscionable a fact.'

Anderson asked: 'What are you trying to accidental Nick?'

'I'm asking you astir a fact,' Robinson said.

The erstwhile Tory MP replied: 'I cognize the Reform Party not lasting successful these areas would beryllium euphony to your ears and the Gary Linekers of the BBC but look, we're present to stay. We're making inroads , we're a tiny party.

'Our trajectory is going up and up and up and the Tory enactment is going down and down and down and travel the General Election, this enactment is going to triumph seats, truthful a ballot for Reform volition beryllium a ballot for Reform.'

Meanwhile, Reform UK person Richard Tice said the Blackpool by-election was an 'extraordinary night'.

'This was our champion by-election by a important margin, mode supra our nationalist polling average,' helium told BBC News.

Mr Tice added: 'What it shows really with large section candidates, much and much radical are proceeding astir Reform and they similar the connection they hear.'

After it was suggested the Reform Party had a agelong travel up if it wanted to triumph a spot astatine the General Election, helium said 'we've got the incorrect electoral strategy successful this country'.