'Sending seats back to Reform!' Lee Anderson tears into Labour plans to 'soften' migration reforms

Lee Anderson has launched a scathing attack on the Labour Government after almost 100 MPs pleaded with Andy Burnham to "soften" migration reforms.

Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK Chairman argued the move by the Makerfield MP would "send seats straight back to Reform".

Nearly 80 Labour MPs have have written to Andy Burnham encouraging him to soften migration reforms by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

In a joint letter addressed to the Downing Street hopeful, the MPs argue the Home Secretary's approach to immigration risked "driving away voters" with more "progressive views".

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Mr Anderson told GB News: "It's same old, same old. It's incredible, really. They made significant gains in the Red Wall area at the last general election, areas surrounding me in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.

"And this is just the sort of thing that will send these seats straight back to Reform UK. I can't say I cannot believe it, but I can believe it because I sit in that madhouse every single week and listen to this nonsense."

The Reform Chairman argued it could create "all sorts of problems" if Mr Burnham goes ahead with softening the reforms.

He said: "I'd go a lot further than the current Home Secretary, but the fact that she actually might listen to these people is going to create all sorts of problems on the problems we've already got in communities up and down the country.

"The people in this country keep voting for something every four or five years and getting something completely different.

"They want an end to this softer migration policy, the people in my area want to be tougher on migration. We want to stop the illegal migrants. We want to have a cap on legal migration."

Mr Anderson expressed concern his future grandchildren will "not recognise the country he grew up in" due to the ongoing migrant crisis.

He said: "We are becoming a country that is unrecognisable and I fear that in my lifetime, my children and maybe grandchildren, if I actually are lucky enough to have grandchildren, they will not recognise the country that I was born in."

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Criticising Mr Burnham, the Reform Chairman declared "nobody knows what he stands for" despite potentially becoming the next Prime Minister.

He told GB News: "Nobody knows what Andy Burnham stands for at the moment. I've seen him slithering around the the corridors of power in Parliament, but not actually seeing him in the chamber yet.

"Nobody knows what it stands for, he's not been in the chamber, he's not had any scrutiny. He's not taking questions from the public or the press.

"He's taking questions on Reddit. He's taking questions that were filtered out, looked up by his team, and he was given the easy questions and given scripted answers. Wait till he gets to that dispatch box, I can't wait to have a go at him."

Paying tribute to Ann Widdecombe following her death aged 78, Mr Anderson hailed the "superb woman" who will be "sadly missed".

He concluded: "What a brilliant woman she was. She was fearless, she was tenacious, she was honest, full of integrity, a political compass was spot on.

"And like I said, I was a little bit scared of her, but a lovely, a lovely woman and it will be a sad loss.

"And I tell you all, I don't think there's any parliamentarian in this current crop I can actually hold a candle to, and what a superb woman. She'll be sadly missed."

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