Lee Anderson swore twice at 'upset and intimidated' security guard outside Parliament

Ashfield MP Lee Anderson left a parliamentary security officer "upset and intimidated" after swearing at him over a dispute involving his pass. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has concluded that the Reform UK MP swore twice at the member of staff, with Mr Anderson alleged to have said: "F*** off, everyone opens the door to me, you are the only one."

After the security officer explained again that he would need to check Mr Anderson's parliamentary pass, the MP is then alleged to have said: "F*** you, I have a train to catch." Mr Anderson has now been ordered to apologise directly to the security officer and to make an apology in the House of Commons.

A report into the matter was published on Wednesday (November 6) by the Independent Expert Panel at Parliament. The panel was set up to hear appeals against decisions made by the standards commissioner and to determine sanctions against MPs who have breached bullying and harassment policy.

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The incident in question took place on November 3, 2023, at the Derby Gate search post outside Parliament. Mr Anderson's security pass had not been working on the day in question, which would have allowed him immediate access into the estate.

The MP therefore had to go through a search point, where he asked the security officer to open the door providing access to Parliament. The security officer did not let him through, allegedly telling Mr Anderson he would have to ring a security number.

An exchange took place which Mr Anderson initially described as "two grown men having a difference of opinion." The MP then accepted that he was "upset, impatient and angry", though he denied being aggressive and said he did not swear at the security officer.

The standards commissioner disagreed after considering a report from an independent investigator. Mr Anderson appealed against the commissioner's findings, but this appeal has now been dismissed.

The new report says the security officer affected has now moved to a different job in Parliament, saying: "[The incident] highlighted the power imbalance between Mr Anderson as an MP and the complainant as a security officer and the importance of the Parliamentary Behaviour Code's requirement that the respondent 'recognise his power, influence and authority' and not to 'abuse them'."

Mr Anderson said he was facing "challenging personal circumstances which affected him on the day of this event" and the report finds that the MP's behaviour "although unacceptable, was not planned or premeditated." The MP now accepts the commissioner's findings "unequivocally."

Mr Anderson's initial appeal against the findings said: "The allegations made against me are untrue and there is absolutely no evidence at all to prove or disprove what I said during the brief exchange I had with the security guard. There is simply some CCTV footage without any sound...

"The CCTV footage proves absolutely nothing other than I was actually entered, showed my pass and then left. For an investigation to take 10 months to decide whether or not I used foul language during an encounter which lasted for around 20 seconds is really quite astonishing in my opinion and it now feels to me like anyone can make an allegation about someone on the estate without proof.

"This would not stand up in a court of law." Warning Mr Anderson about the nature of his apology, the report adds: "Any respondent giving such an apology must not frustrate the intention of this sanction or weaken the terms of the apology in any way, including after the apology is made."

The Ashfield MP was still a member of the Conservative Party at the time of the incident. Mr Anderson was later suspended by the Tories over comments made about "Islamists" taking control of Sadiq Khan. The MP then joined Reform UK ahead of the July 2024 general election, in which he again won the Ashfield seat he has now held since 2019.