About the Author

Phil Anderson is a battle-hardened local politician from Thurrock in South Essex, branded by the national media as "Britain's most Eurosceptic area" and "the country's capital of misery". Phil won his council seat in Thurrock in 2010 by a nail-biting 29 votes. Within a year of being elected, he found himself as opposition leader in one of the tightest marginal constituencies in the UK. Phil became the local Conservative party Chairman in advance of the 2015 general election, where Thurrock emerged as UKIP's no.1 target. The Conservatives held the seat in what came to be seen as one of the key political bellwethers of the election. Phil has been a Director of the Thames Gateway Development Corporation and the Thurrock Racial Unity Support Taskgroup, and a regular media contributor in print, radio, internet, and occasional TV. He lives in Thurrock, is married to Lisa, and has two teenage daughters.