Lee Anderson has hailed his party’s newly-elected MP Sarah Pochin as the new “Iron Lady”. The Reform chief whip made the comment as he shared a photo of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election winner enjoying a British lunchtime classic of what he described as “common sense fish and chips”.
Mr Anderson, who defected to Reform from the Conservatives, also used the opportunity to stress there was no avocado in sight. The healthy food item is often associated with ‘woke’ and is particularly popular with the younger generations. In his post on X, the MP for Ashfield said: “Meet Sarah Pochin. No avocado on toast here. Just common sense fish and chips.”
He added: “Not sure about the ketchup though. Our Iron Lady munching through a light snack. This is how @reformparty_uk ladies get through a busy Friday.”
Reform, which made sweeping gains in England’s local elections earlier this month, has looked to brand itself on standing for “common sense”.
“Iron Lady” was a nickname given to Britain’s first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Ms Pochin, who is Reform’s first female MP, was elected earlier this month in one of the closest parliamentary contests ever, defeating the Labour candidate by just six votes.
Labour had won with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago but a by-election was triggered when former MP Mike Amesbury resigned after admitting punching a constituent.
Before her election, Ms Pochin told the Express: “Reform stands up for common sense which is sadly lacking in our politics at the moment.
“The British people want to get back to basic good values of what we care about, and Reform is the party that is standing up for British values.”
Party leader Nigel Farage hailed Reform as “now the main opposition party” following its impressive victories in the by-election and other local election contests.
Reform currently has five MPs in the House of Commons.
