Lee Anderson mocked for mistake in bizarre St George’s Day post
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailReform MP Lee Anderson has raised eyebrows with a new video about St George’s Day, which he posted on social media with a bizarre warning to fans of “advacado” and supporters of the Palestinian cause.The MP for Ashfield, who recently joined Reform UK after being suspended from the Tory party over racist remarks about London mayor Sadiq Khan, marked the annual feast day with a post showing off a pair of cufflinks bearing the St George’s Cross.“Look at these here, the flag of St George,” Rishi Sunak’s former Tory deputy chair told viewers, pointing to his cufflinks. “It’s St George’s Day today and this country of ours has been a gift to the world. Look at the industrial revolution, culture, arts, music, sport – everywhere you look on this planet, you see some of that. Oh, by the way, happy birthday William Shakespeare.”In a caption for the post, he wrote: “Trigger Warning. If you are a Guardian reading, advacado eating, Palestinian flag waving, Eddie Izzard supporting Vegan then this clip is probably not for your consumption.”His remarks drew amusement from on X/Twitter, where critics picked up on his misspelling of the word “avocado”, and noted the connection between Palestine and St George, who is celebrated not just in England, but in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Caucuses and South America.Comedian Shaparak Khorsandi wrote: “Who is going to tell him about St George’s connection to Palestine? (His mother was Palestinian, they too have a St George’s day/feast. Though, to be fair, it is not known if he was related to Eddie Izzard).”While Mr Anderson’s reference to Izzard is unclear, Mr Anderson has previously been criticised for “vile” remarks about the transgender actor and Labour candidate.Reform MP Lee Anderson has revealed he will not be campaigning in certain Tory constituencies due to his friendships with the current MPs More