Former Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson has defected to the Reform UK party.

Mr Anderson – who is now Reform’s first MP – said he “wanted his country back”.

He added another factor was his elderly parents had said they could not vote for him unless he did.

He said: “My parents are both nearly 80 and they get it, and I must not let them down.”

The often-outspoken Mr Anderson was suspended from the Conservatives after refusing to apologize to London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

He said Mr Khan had “given away our capital city to his mates”.

The MP for Ashfield also claimed that Islamists had “got control” of the London mayor.

The remark led to accusations of “Islamophobia” by both Labour and senior Tories.

Mr Anderson insisted he would not take back the words as it would be “a sign of weakness”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saw Mr Anderson as a key player to keep the Red Wall seats that gave the Tories a sound winning majority at the last general election.

It’s the third time Mr Anderson has switched allegiances.

He was a Labour councillor before joining the Tories and now moving onto Reform UK.

Reform leader Richard Tice urged more Tories to follow Anderson.

He tweeted: “New Cons wasting their time.

“Tories are finished, taken over by globalists & social democrats.

“Come on over to [Reform], where the grass is greener & we are the real Red Wall alternative to Labour.”

Meanwhile, The Times reports that former PM Boris Johnson will help Rishi Sunak campaign in Northern Red Wall seats.

A UK Government source said:

“Don’t expect Boris to appear on stage with Rishi — that’s not going to happen — but he is up for it.”

Despite Johnson and Sunak falling out, the source added:

“The relationship is in a fairly good place.”