People Ask If They're Being Trolled As Lee Anderson Gets New Job With The Tories
Rishi Sunak has just appointed Lee Anderson as the deputy chair of the Conservative Party – and Twitter can decide if it’s being trolled or not.
The prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet amid a spate of scandals which rocked both the public and his party’s confidence (and Sunak’s standing in the opinion polls was not high to begin with).
With several of his senior ministers making headlines over their ministerial conduct, including home secretary Suella Braverman, former cabinet office minister Gavin Williamson, and most recently former Tory chair, Nadhim Zahawi, Sunak was trying to get his cabinet back on track.
But, he may have overplayed his hand by appointing controversial backbencher Anderson to deputy chair of the Conservative Party.
The MP for Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, is on the Tory-right and was elected in 2019. Despite only a few years in parliament, he has caused a stir repeatedly by asking if so many food banks were really necessary, claiming many relied on the facilities because they “can’t cook a meal from scratch” and cannot “budget”.
He claimed that meals can be cooked from scratch for “about 30p a day”, and even said people called him “30p Lee” by saying he made 172 meals with just £50 in a supermarket.
In January, Anderson criticised nurses for using food banks, saying anyone who needed to use them on salaries of around £30k that must have “something wrong with their finances”.
He also used one of his staff members recently as an example of someone who can budget well very publicly on social media.
Anderson wrote: “She [Katy] is single & earns less than 30k, rents a room for £775pcm in Central London, has student debt, £120 a month on travelling to work saves money every month, goes on foreign holidays & does not need to use a food bank. Katy makes my point really well.”
This opened him up to a whole new category of critics.
And, only last month, he compared Sunak’s government to the “band on the Titanic”, meaning his appointment gave people the perfect opportunity to use the “shuffling the deckchairs” analogy.
Understandably, Twitter can’t quite believe this turn of events....
Presumably 30p Lee has been appointed deputy chair to try to keep control over all the Tory Party entertainment. No more Bollinger, just bowls of porridge made with water.
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) February 7, 2023
How low can the Tories sink, into the bargain basement of rejects they go appointing 30p Lee. pic.twitter.com/npgNkDWNj7
— lucy woods (@LucyWoodslucy70) February 7, 2023
I made 30p Lee Anderson Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party to show that even people with the intellectual capacity of a haddock can reach high office.#Reshuffle
— Parody Rishi Sunak (@Parody_PM) February 7, 2023
Today Rishi Sunak has been reshuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic. Then just for a laugh thrown in Lee Anderson as Deputy Chair, to give everyone a good "WTF?" moment before everything goes down.
— Matt Green (@mattgreencomedy) February 7, 2023
UPDATE: he’s been handed a deck chair https://t.co/sHHweiocir
— Angela Rayner ???? (@AngelaRayner) February 7, 2023
I was worried that the Sunak mini-shuffle was spurious and even a little silly, but then he made Lee Anderson deputy chair of his party and now we see the quality of the whole enterprise shining through.
— Nick Tyrone (@NicholasTyrone) February 7, 2023
What did Lee Anderson do to deserve a promotion?
— Liz Saville Roberts AS/MP ???? (@LSRPlaid) February 7, 2023
Accuse foodbank users of wasting money on booze and fags?
Lie that most asylum seekers are illegal migrants?
Demonise Travellers?
Use his staff as a political football?
A reflection of the sorry state of Westminster politics pic.twitter.com/ttzEMUJdjC
Lee Anderson MP has just been made Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party.
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) February 7, 2023
He boycotted the England team because they took the knee and said people in poverty "cannot budget" and should cook 30p meals.
That sound you can hear?
It's the Conservatives scraping the barrel.
Genuinely thought this was a joke at first. Headline one week ago: "Conservative MP Lee Anderson likens Government to the ‘band on the Titanic’" https://t.co/LQMcZD6gmM
— Josiah Mortimer (@josiahmortimer) February 7, 2023
Now,make Lee Anderson deputy chair of the Conservative Party. pic.twitter.com/d5plpa81xF
— Cat Headley (@Cat_Headley) February 7, 2023
And then he made 30pLee the new Deputy Chair of the Tory party……… pic.twitter.com/IqhWMT2Z1i
— Robert Bob 3.5% Remainer. (@MrRobertBob1) February 7, 2023
Lee Anderson promoted to deputy chairman … ???? https://t.co/FTVbUUbLK8
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) February 7, 2023
Making Lee Anderson Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party is only going to end one way. As it happens, it will be one particularly fucking hilarious and catastrophic way, and we’re all here for it.
— Simon Harris - Man Behaving Dadly (THAT’S DADLY) (@simonharris_mbd) February 7, 2023
Lee Anderson has been appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party. This is Sunak jumping the shark whilst wearing water skis. The Tories have officially killed satire.
— Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) February 7, 2023
Is this because they've lost 40% of donations so they're hoping 30p Lee can fund the entire party on less than a £1? https://t.co/bpSEsYGrdo
— Tiernan Douieb (@TiernanDouieb) February 7, 2023
On the bright side, I give 30p Lee a month before he says something so gross, Sunak has to either sack him, or be damaged and damage the party further. Strategically speaking, a comically short-sighted move. Note the date of this tweet. ~AA
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) February 7, 2023
BREAKING: The Tory Party has announced that Lee Anderson is their new deputy chair. Yes, really!
— Laura Kuenssberg beyond parody (@LKTranslator) February 7, 2023
I would like to thank the Tory Party for writing the jokes for me x