Lee Anderson’s blistering four-word verdict as new flag row brews | Politics | News
Ashfield’s Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has slammed Labor and Conservative opponents of Nottinghamshire County Council’s £75,000 plan to erect lampposts with Union Jacks. The MP accused them of hypocrisy for worrying about pennies while presiding over millions in public waste. Since Reform UK’s May local election victory, the council has approved the installation of 164 durable Union flags on lampposts in 82 wards across the region, including Mansfield, Ashfield, Gedling, Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, Bassetlaw and Newark.
The total, priced at £475 each, including brackets, traffic management and installation, is funded from internal efficiencies without affecting frontline services, according to council leader Councilor Mick Barton. Commander Barton defended the move as a timely display of national pride ahead of England’s Euro 2028 qualifiers and other events. He said: “We think it’s the right thing to do and it makes us feel good… When people put up all these St George and Union flags, they’re not going to last forever… so we thought we’d support the public in what they want.”
The plan, which skips a full council vote but is open to objections until Thursday, has sparked a fierce backlash, exacerbating divisions in borough politics.
In a post viewed more than 219,000 times on X, Mr Anderson singled out Mansfield’s Labor executive mayor, Andy Abrahams, for starting a petition on Change.org against the plan on cost grounds.
Mr Anderson wrote: “The Labor Mayor of Mansfield has launched a petition to stop the flags being put up because of the cost. The cost is less than 20p per household but says nothing about the £6 million a day the Labor Government spends on hotels for illegal immigrants.”
He added: “They all need to keep quiet, they have no right to talk about waste. They all need to keep quiet, they have no right to talk about waste.”
Mr Anderson fired back at the Conservatives in Nottinghamshire by highlighting a £500,000 Active Travel Fund cycle lane in Ashfield which he claimed remained unused. He shared footage of Councilor Neil Clarke, the former Conservative cabinet member for highways and transport, promoting the project in 2022.
In the clip, Councilor Clarke said: “This is one of our new projects…it promotes cycling…And this route will help cyclists avoid traffic and connect with Sutton Town Centre.”
Mr Anderson’s post also included his verdict on the debacle, saying: “Cheeky.”
Labor group leader Councilor Penny Gowland raised similar prioritization concerns. He said: “£75,000 is a huge amount of money that could be used for council services.
“If flags are meant to unite us, not divide us, then I have no problem with that. But I think we should trust our country to not hang flags everywhere.”
Labor councilor Helen Faccio, who represents Toton, Chilwell and Attenborough, told the BBC the spending betrayed the Reformation’s anti-waste promises. He said: “Then we hear about big spending on flags. My residents say we should spend the money on filling potholes or investing in youth clubs.”
Major Sam Smith, former Conservative Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and now Leader of the Opposition, said: “It is ludicrous to see Lee Anderson, as a Conservative MP, attacking cycleways after he became a Labor MP, while Lee was cheering them on. He was even credited with helping to raise £2.17m in 2020 to ‘increase cycling and walking in Nottinghamshire’.” He boasted and said ‘it’s time to take my bike out’.
“What Lee doesn’t tell people is that £2.17m of funding has been ring-fenced by his Government for cycleways and footpaths. Councils were banned from spending it on anything else. At the time I and Conservative Councilors asked Ministers to let us use this money for road and pavement repairs – just as residents wanted – but they refused.
“Instead of lobbying to change these rules, Lee and Reform continue to mislead the public, wasting £75,000 on flags and spending more than £2 million to keep empty council buildings running while claiming to save taxpayers money.
“The chaos of reform is leading to service cuts and council tax rises across Nottinghamshire. More nonsense. More waste. More broken promises.”
The dispute underscores tensions since Reform’s May victory, which ousted the long-standing Conservative majority. Mr Anderson, who switched from Conservatives to Reform in 2024, represents Ashfield.
Supporters hail the flags as an affirmation of heritage; Detractors describe them as an expensive distraction given Nottinghamshire’s status as England’s ninth poorest shire.
The deadline for objections on Thursday paves the way for a potentially rapid implementation.
