whether it s telling people who are struggling to make ends meet that they should learn to shop cheaply and cook for themselves, nurses that have got no need to use a food bank, or refugee charities that they are just as bad as people smugglers. he is lee anderson, former num member, miner, labour councillor, now proud mp for his hometown of ashfield in nottinghamshire, and deputy chairman of. the conservative party. it has been quite a journey. lee anderson, welcome to political thinking. you have not created a controversy for a few weeks now, have you been neutered, have they caged you in this newjob? well, no, two weeks ago when i got thejob i was on a home affairs select committee visit to uruguay on the legalisation of drugs, and then i think the week after we were on recess so this is my first full week back, not been any controversies, i don t think, this week, but i keep looking at my phone for updates to see what i have said and who i have upset. joking apart, do you
let s just take an example like barking in essex and dagenham, to buy a house in your constituency, we checked this out because before going on air, on average is 214,000, in barking and dagenham, it is a03,000, i suspect, i haven t got the figures, rent is a lot higher. so, isn t it a bit glib to say, because i don t know a nurse who needs to use a food bank, there aren t any nurses who need to use a food bank? well, where are they? have you got any? well, i haven t got them here but the royal college of nursing can provide you with them. unite the union can, unison can. well, they will do. the unions have all got an agenda, you know that, they will provide these case studies. you ve got an agenda, they ve got an agenda. my inbox is full, when i make these so called controversial comments, which by the way are not controversial, my inbox floods from people, notjust just from ashfield, from places like barking, from all over the uk, saying, you know what, lee, thank goodness somebody i