Tory MP appears to back Reform UK's Lee Anderson

A Conservative MP has appeared to back a candidate from a rival party, Reform UK, at the next general election.

In a post on X, Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher said he hoped Ashfield would "appreciate what he has done for his home town and his country".

Mr Anderson has said he will not campaign against four Tory MPs who are friends, including Mr Fletcher.

The Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to kick Mr Fletcher out of the Conservative Party, adding that not doing so would show the prime minister is "too weak" to control his MPs.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "It seems even Conservative MPs don't want the Conservatives to win.

"Voters are sick to the back teeth of this never-ending circus of infighting. Rishi Sunak needs to find his backbone."

Under party rules, Tory members are required to "sustain and promote the objects and values of the Conservative Party". Endorsing rival candidates can be grounds for a disciplinary investigation and potential expulsion.

In his X post, Mr Fletcher said: "I so wish @LeeAndersonMP had remained with the Conservatives."

But he said he understood why he had decided to join Reform - and described him as "Ashfield's greatest champion".

"We both need to be back in Westminster," he added.

In a later post, Mr Fletcher said: "For the avoidance of any doubt of course I want to see a Conservative majority government returned at the next election with as many Conservative MPs as possible.

"Lee is a personal friend but we can't risk the damage a Labour government would do to our country."

Both Mr Fletcher and the Conservative Party have been approached for comment.

This means the local party would have had to choose someone else to contest Ashfield in the general election expected later this year, unless the whip was restored to Mr Anderson.

In a post on Facebook. Reform's first MP described Mr Fletcher and three other Tory MPs - Ben Bradley (Mansfield) , Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw) and Marco Longhi (Dudley North) - as "my friends" who had "reached out to me last month".

"They will always be my friends and because of this I will not campaign against them in their Parliamentary seats.

"Friendship means more to me. Every other seat is fair game."

Reform UK said it respected Mr Anderson's personal decision, but the party would continue campaigning in these constituencies.

The party has been averaging 13% in recent opinion polls, and some Conservatives fear it could make further inroads into its support if its founder and honorary president Nigel Farage takes on a more active role.

A Reform spokesperson said the decision showed "Lee's loyalty to his friends, which goes beyond politics", but "Reform will be standing in these constituencies and will be fighting the Conservatives across the board in England, Wales and Scotland".

The spokesperson added: "The Tories have betrayed the country by failing to control our borders and allowing our public services to crumble. We will punish them at the general election."