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LEE ANDERSON, WHO DEFECTED TO REFORM UK LAST WEEK, DID NOT CAST A SINGLE VOTE AS MPS REVERSED AMENDMENTS TO THE SAFETY OF RWANDA BILL, DESPITE POSTING A FACEBOOK VIDEO ON IT 17:39, 19 Mar

2024Updated 17:55, 19 Mar 2024 New Reform UK MP Lee Anderson missed his first major vote since defecting - when he failed to vote on the Government's Rwanda plan. The former Tory deputy

chairman, who joined the right-wing outfit last week, didn't cast a single vote as the Commons reversed 10 amendments on the controversial scheme on Monday night. His absence from the

voting lobbies came despite him filming a video in the morning talking about the legislation. In the clip for constituents, shared on his Facebook page, Mr Anderson said: "Busy day

today, off to London in a bit, we've got the Rwanda Bill coming back to Parliament, I think there's about 10 amendments that the Lords have made to mess around with this piece of

legislation." And the Ashfield MP, who quit his Tory Party deputy chairman role in January in protest over the Safety of Rwanda Bill, went on: "Hopefully it should get passed next

week and then it remains to be seen if it'll work. I've got my doubts, what about you?" Last night Tories voted down amendments, which included protections for modern slavery

and trafficking victims, as well as a delay to ensure Rwanda does what it's promised to do. And a call for asylum seekers who helped British forces overseas to be exempted from

deportation was also slapped down. Article continues below Mr Anderson famously bottled voting against the Safety of Rwanda Bill when it was last in front of the Commons. He said in an

interview afterwards that he'd intended to oppose it, but walked out when he heard Labour MPs "giggling" and "taking the mick". The Mirror has contacted Mr Anderson

to query why he wasn't there. As the debate unfolded in the Commons, he was on social media, posting on Twitter shortly after 6pm: "The very people who tell you that

multiculturalism has been a success are the very people who have no idea how to control immigration. It's a cop out and they know it." A Reform UK spokesman pointed out that Mr

Anderson has previously voted for amendments calling for the Bill to be beefed up. He went on: "Last night's votes were on Lords amendments. The whole Bill is weak and unlikely to

work without (Robert) Jenrick’s amendments so he cannot support any current votes on a Bill that is destined to fail. Article continues below "The PM has consistently said he will not

allow foreign courts to stop Rwanda flights taking off. Well he is doing exactly that right now. It’s within his power to send the flights off today and ignore any judgements. He is hiding

behind a Bill that won't work." READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster