Nigel Farage has explained why Lee Anderson has not been prominent in Reform UK’s recent campaign trail efforts.

The Ashfield candidate became the party’s first MP in March when he defected after being suspended from the Tories.

He was expected to play a key role in the insurgent party’s efforts to win seats at the upcoming general election, but he has not been spotted on the trail as much as other key figures like Richard Tice and Nigel Farage in recent days.

Speaking to Camilla Tominey on GB News, Farage explained why this is the case.

“His wife has been very seriously ill in the last couple of days”, he said.

“I wanted Lee [Anderson] to come today, but his wife has been ill.”

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The comments come amid a backdrop of scrutiny for Reform with a Channel 4 investigation into the party yielding unwanted findings for Farage, who has accused the broadcaster of conducting a smear campaign.

Footage from the undercover report showed Reform campaigner Andrew Parker using a derogatory term about the prime minister.

He also said the army should “just shoot” migrants crossing the Channel.

Farage has hit out at the investigation, saying the man concerned was an actor with an ulterior motive.

“From the minute this man got in the car, he was apparently saying all sorts about people of different colours and sexualities”, he said.

“He was trying to gee up the Reform activists who didn’t play.

“He then came out with this stream of invective against Rishi Sunak and said the Mosques should be turned into Wetherspoon’s.

“I looked at this and thought, ‘this doesn’t ring true’.

“The next morning I found out, he’s an actor, he’s very posh, yet he has this alter ego where he does rough speaking. He’s an Alf Garnett type.

“If you were a genuine Reform canvasser, why would you come into the office using your alter ego voice?

“He seemed to know the Channel 4 infiltrators very well and by shared coincidence of days of 100s of canvassers, they happened to be in the same car.

“This is the biggest smear stitch-up I have seen and we will get to the bottom of this.”

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.

"We met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.

"We did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation."