Hucknall MP Mark Spencer 'disappointed' at Lee Anderson's decision to join Reform UK

And he said he feared the move was simply playing into Labour’s hands when it comes to the general election this year.

Mr Anderson, MP for Ashfield, announced that he was joining Reform having had the Conservative whip withdrawn last month after saying Islamists had ‘control’ of London Mayor Sadiq Khan – comments he made clear he would not be apologising for.

He said: “I want my country back.

"Like millions of people in this country, I feel that we are slowly giving our country away, we are giving away our way of life, we are allowing people to erase our history, we are giving up our streets to a minority of people who literally hate our way of life.

"We are allowing people into our country who will never integrate and adopt our British values and Parliament doesn’t seem to understand what many British people want and, quite frankly, some of them need to get out more.”

But Mr Spencer said all Mr Anderson was doing by leaving the Tory camp for Reform UK was helping Labour win the next general election.

He said: “I am disappointed at Lee’s decision.

"Whilst I am sympathetic to many of his concerns, his actions are in danger of delivering a Labour Government that will have exactly the opposite effect of what he wants to achieve.

"It’s always best to stay and fight for what you believe in.”