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'{{Short description|British politician (born 1962)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific-prefix = | name = Lance Forman | honorific-suffix = | party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] (before 2019; since 2020)<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/08/fellow-former-brexit-party-meps-joining-tories-help-boris-deliver/|title=My fellow former Brexit Party MEPs and I are joining the Tories to help Boris deliver|first=John|last=Longworth|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=8 January 2020|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> | otherparty = [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2019–2020)<br /> [[Brexit Party|Brexit]] (2019) | image = Lance Forman (4924804086) (cropped).jpg | caption = Forman in 2010 | office = [[Member of the European Parliament]]<br />for [[London (European Parliament constituency)|London]] | term_start = 2 July 2019 | term_end = 31 January 2020 | predecessor = [[Syed Kamall]] | successor = ''Constituency abolished'' | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|10|13|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Islington]], [[London]], England | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = British | spouse = Rene Anisfeld | relations = | children = 3 | residence = | education = [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] (1969-80)<ref>[https://issuu.com/bainespsa/docs/a41023_habs_skylark_mag_2011_issuu], 'Ben Alalouff, "Lance Anisfeld HABS and Beyond", ''Skylark [The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Magazine]'', 2011, p.169. Retrieved January 11, 2020</ref> | alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]] | occupation = | profession = | website = }} '''Lance Philip Anisfeld''' (born 13 October 1962), known professionally as '''Lance Philip Forman''',<ref>{{cite web |title=European election 2019 – London-wide results |url=https://lewisham.gov.uk/mayorandcouncil/elections/results/election-results-2019/european-election-2019-results/european-election-2019---london-wide-results |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=24 May 2019 |website=www.lewisham.gov.uk |publisher=Lewisham Council |access-date= 28 May 2019 }}</ref> is a British politician and businessman, who was a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) for [[London (European Parliament constituency)|London]] between [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2 July 2019]] and the [[Brexit|United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The UK's European elections 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/crjeqkdevwvt/the-uks-european-elections-2019 |website=BBC News |accessdate=26 May 2019}}</ref> Previously affiliated with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], Forman was elected to the European Parliament as a [[Brexit Party]] MEP, however he resigned the party whip in December 2019 in order to support the Conservative Party's Brexit strategy. He later joined the Conservative Party and for part of January 2020 was a member of the [[European Conservatives and Reformists|ECR]] group.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197703/LANCE_FORMAN/history/9|title=9th parliamentary term &#124; Lance FORMAN &#124; MEPs &#124; European Parliament|website=www.europarl.europa.eu}}</ref> ==Early life== Forman was born in [[Islington]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=70NsSOyOXcGbnbggSbJq4Q&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=5 January 2020|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> and educated at [[Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]. In 1985, as Lance Anisfeld, he was [[List of Presidents of The Cambridge Union|President]] of [[Cambridge Union]].<ref name="FT 1992" >"Hands-on experience for adviser", ''Financial Times'', May 18, 1992, p.12. https://archive.org/stream/FinancialTimes1992UKEnglish/May%2018%201992%2C%20Financial%20Times%2C%20%2360321%2C%20UK%20%28en%29#page/n11/mode/2up Retrieved January 11, 2020</ref> ==Career== Forman worked at [[Price Waterhouse Coopers]] as an accountant before being employed as a [[Special adviser (UK)|Special Adviser]] on trade related matters, 1991–92,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1994-07-21/debates/ee6e733c-acff-44f0-93ca-230d2e7fbb4c/WrittenAnswers|title=UK parliament Hansard - written answers to questions - volume 271|date=July 21, 1994|website=UK Parliament|access-date=January 11, 2020}}</ref> to [[Peter Lilley]], Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.<ref name="FT 1992"/> He was subsequently a partner of ''EastS'', a small property advisory firm specialising in Eastern Europe.<ref name="FT 1992"/> ''[[The Observer]]'' reported that Forman specialised in the privatisation of enterprises in former eastern European [[Soviet states]] and held real estate in [[Ukraine]]. Forman told ''The Observer'' that he acted "as a consultant" in this regard.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2005/jun/26/olympics2012.Olympics2012 "Caviar trader mounts his own Olympic bid"] by Nick Mathiason, ''The Guardian'', June 26, 2005. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref> === H. Forman & Son === Forman manages [[H. Forman and Son]], a smoked salmon business in [[Fish Island, London]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Forman |first=Lance |date=17 May 2019| title=A very Jewish Brexit |url=https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/a-very-jewish-brexit-lance-forman-brexit-party-1.484328 |work=Jewish Chronicle |access-date=28 May 2019}}</ref> He is the fourth-generation owner of the company.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/swastika-business-jewish-brexit-party-candidate-lance-forman/|title=Huge swastika painted on the business belonging to Jewish candidate for the Brexit Party|last=Chaplain|first=Chloe|date=8 May 2019|website=inews.co.uk|accessdate=2 June 2019}}</ref> The business faced threats of a local boycott in the wake of his election as a London MEP for the Brexit Party, a group which won only 10.1% of votes locally in the May [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2019 European Parliament elections]].<ref>[https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2019/05/28/european-elections-hackney-wick-salmon-tycoon-wins-london-seat-brexit-party/ "European Elections: Hackney Wick salmon tycoon wins London seat for Brexit Party"], ''Hackney Citizen'', 28 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019</ref> Police investigations were opened in the run-up to the elections after a 10-metre swastika was spray-painted on the side of the business in a suspected anti-semitic attack.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/08/swastika-painted-on-building-of-jewish-brexit-party-candidate "Swastika painted on building of Jewish Brexit party candidate"], ''The Guardian'', 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/08/30ft-swastika-painted-business-belonging-jewish-brexit-party/ "30ft swastika painted on business belonging to Jewish Brexit party candidate, as police announce investigation"], ''The Telegraph'', 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019</ref> Forman has claimed that he does not believe his business was targeted due to his Jewish heritage but rather because he supports [[Brexit]].<ref name="Times of Israel 2">{{cite news |last1=Liphshiz |first1=Cnaan |title=A Jewish Brexit Party politician owns London's oldest smoked salmon factory |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-jewish-brexit-party-politician-owns-londons-oldest-smoked-salmon-factory/ |accessdate=23 September 2019 |work=[[Times of Israel]]}}</ref> Forman successfully applied for the EU’s [[Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union#Protected geographical indication (PGI)|protected geographical indication (PGI)]] status for H. Forman and Son's "London cure" smoked salmon.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Conor|date=13 July 2017|title=Smoked salmon Brexiter sees nothing fishy in gaining EU protection|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/abb38a9c-6643-11e7-9a66-93fb352ba1fe|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite web|date=2015-09-11|title=EU set to grant special status to salmon from East End smokery|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/11/eu-set-to-grant-special-status-to-salmon-from-east-end-smokery|access-date=2020-11-28|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The designation provides protected name status to products under EU law, allowing the London cure to be labelled and protected with an EU trade mark.<ref name="theguardian.com"/> While acknowledging "The irony" of gaining EU protection due to his eurosceptic views,<ref name=":0" /> Forman said he was "very proud", while the [[prime minister]], [[Theresa May]], called the designation "fantastic".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yorke|first=Harry|date=2017-07-13|title=London's oldest smoked salmon curer receives EU protected status as owner reveals business faced ruin over 2012 Olympics|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/13/london-smoked-salmon-given-eu-protected-status/|access-date=2020-11-28|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> In an August 2018 interview for ''Salmon Business'', Forman dismissed the idea that the [[European Union|EU]] has advanced his business, saying, "I can honestly say that having been in the EU hasn’t created any serious commercial advantages for our business".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Owen|date=2018-08-27|title=London salmon smokehouse, H. Forman & Son, owner: "I see Brexit as a great opportunity for Britain"|url=https://salmonbusiness.com/h-forman-son-ceo-i-see-brexit-as-a-good-opportunity-for-britain/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=SalmonBusiness|language=en-GB}}</ref> ==MEP== Forman was elected as a Brexit Party MEP for the London constituency in May 2019. He resigned the party whip in December 2019 to support the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]'s Brexit strategy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Three MEPs quit Brexit Party to back PM's EU deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50672611 |website=BBC News |accessdate=5 December 2019 |date=5 December 2019}}</ref> Forman is considered to be the most prolific [[Twitter]] user of all MEPs, having the highest total number of tweets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2019/news/revealed-the-twitter-mug-shot-of-newly-elected-meps/|title=Revealed: The Twitter mug-shot of newly-elected MEPs|last1=Simon|first1=Fréderic|last2=Archambault|first2=Hannah|date=June 28, 2019|website=Euractiv.com|accessdate=2 July 2019}}</ref> A number of Forman's tweets have [[Going viral|gone viral]] such as claims that [[Jeremy Corbyn]] is a [[Nazi]], that [[Islamophobia]] in the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative party]] is "made up by the left",<ref>{{cite news |last=Bloom|first=Dan |date=April 26, 2019| title=Brexit Party candidate claimed Tory Islamophobia was 'made up by the left' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-party-candidate-claimed-tory-14716386 |website=Mirror.co.uk |access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> that the "British taxpayer has paid for a nice fleet" of [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] for MEPs in [[Brussels]] (while posting a picture of what was actually a [[Škoda Auto|Skoda]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/06/12/brexit-party-mep-made-a-claim-about-his-eu-transport-and-everybody-made-the-same-joke/|title=A Brexit Party MEP made a claim about his EU transport and everybody made the same joke|website=thepoke.co.uk|accessdate=2 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indy100.com/article/brexit-party-lance-foreman-tweet-mercedes-car-skoda-mep-taxi-8954746|title=Brexit Party MEP mocked after falsely bragging about taxpayers paying for 'fleet of Mercs'|last=Zatat|first=Narjas|date=June 12, 2019|website=Indy 100 from Independent|accessdate=2 July 2019}}</ref> as well as sharing a video of himself apparently unable to operate the voting machines at the [[EU parliament]], which he claimed was evidence that there was "no democracy here".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/video-of-brexit-party-mep-figuring-out-voting-machine-goes-viral/12/06/|title=Video of Brexit Party MEP figuring out voting machine goes viral|last=Peat|first=Jack|date=June 12, 2019|website=The London Economic|accessdate=2 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Jankowicz |first=Mia |date=June 11, 2019 |title=Brexit Party MEP mocked for appearing to claim that EU parliament voting machines are rigged |website=The New European |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news-lance-forman-eu-voting-machines-48976/ |accessdate=10 March 2023}}</ref> Forman is in favour of "reducing the size of the state" and removing "red tape" which he considers harmful to businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/news/brexit-party-candidate-lance-forman-speaks-with-parliamentary-review|title=Brexit Party candidate Lance Forman speaks with Parliamentary Review|date=16 May 2019|website=The Parliamentary Review}}</ref> He has claimed that EU packaging and hygiene regulations have cost his business hundreds of thousands of pounds annually, which is the principal reason he is in favour of Brexit.<ref name="Times of Israel 2"/> This, despite also claiming that the USA market's demands are harsher than that of the EU.<ref>[https://salmonbusiness.com/fda-sends-warning-letter-to-salmon-smoker-former-mep/ "FDA sends warning letter to salmon smoker former MEP] by Owen Evans, ''Salmon Business'', 28 May 2020</ref> Forman is a [[climate change denier]].<ref>[https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/features/forman-son-managing-director-lance-forman-doesn-t-blame-disaster-on-climate-change-1-4349984 "Forman & Son managing director Lance Forman doesn't blame disaster on climate change"] by Lance Forman, ''Newham Recorder'', December 16, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/LanceForman/status/956539334915710976|title=I was being sarcastic. Climate change is a myth. Political Climate change is the real danger. PC will kill us all off before suntans|first=Lance Forman MEP|last=elect|date=25 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/05/01/brexit-party-climate-science-deniers|title=Meet The Brexit Party's Climate Science Deniers|last=Collett-White|first=Richard|last2=Farand|first2=Chloe|date=May 1, 2019|website=DeSmog UK|access-date=January 9, 2020|last3=Hope|first3=Mat}}</ref> ==Family== Forman's son Oliver (Ollie) Anisfeld was formerly the [[chief executive officer|CEO]] of [[Turning Point UK]], the British branch of [[Turning Point USA]], a conservative, pro-[[Donald Trump|Trump]] organisation.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/turning-point-uk-jacob-rees-mogg-conservative-right-wing-group-launch-tory-a8762351.html "Turning Point UK: Jacob Rees-Mogg and Tory MPs support new branch of ‘sinister’ right-wing US group"], ''The Independent'', February 4, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47159137 "The battle over Britain's newest student movement"], ''BBC'', February 9, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexspence/pro-trump-turning-point-loses-star-activists "Days After Its Disastrous British Launch, Turning Point Has Already Lost One Of Its Star Recruits"], ''BuzzFeed'', February 8, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref><ref>[https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/the-free-market-youth-movement-that-behaves-like-apple/ "The free-market youth movement that behaves like Apple"], ''The Spectator'', March 11, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019</ref> The organisation was subject to controversy at its launch, after conservative commentator, [[Candace Owens]], was criticised for her remarks stating, the “problem” with Hitler was that “he had dreams outside of Germany.”<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-02-09|title=Prominent Trump supporter Candace Owens condemned over Hitler comments|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/candace-owens-hitler-speech-trump-turning-point-uk-usa-charlie-kirk-a8771056.html|access-date=2020-11-27|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Frazin|first=Rachel|date=2019-02-08|title=Candace Owens: 'If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well — OK, fine'|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/429180-candace-owens-if-hitler-just-wanted-to-make-germany-great-and|access-date=2020-11-27|website=TheHill|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Stefano|first=Alex Spence, Mark Di|title=Days After Its Disastrous British Launch, Turning Point Has Already Lost One Of Its Star Recruits|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexspence/pro-trump-turning-point-loses-star-activists|access-date=2020-11-28|website=BuzzFeed|language=en}}</ref> In November 2019, Lance Forman was publicly criticised by the mayors of [[Tower Hamlets]] and [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] for hosting a public meeting of Turning Point UK, in which Forman was also a panel member. Forman defended the decision saying he was in favour of [[freedom of speech|free speech]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2019/11/05/east-london-mayors-condemn-local-meetings-turning-point-uk/|title=East London Mayors join to condemn local meetings of Turning Point UK|last=Sheridan|first=Ed|date=November 5, 2019|work=Hackney Citizen|access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref> Together with his wife, Rene Anisfeld, Forman is a patron of the charitable organisation One Family UK,<ref>{{EW charity |1123328|One Family UK}}</ref> which aids victims of terror attacks in [[Israel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://onefamilyuk.org/one-family-uk/|title=ONE FAMILY UK – One Family UK}}</ref> == Publications == * ''Forman's Games: The Dark Underside of the London Olympics'' (Biteback Publishing, 12 July 2016) {{ISBN|9781785901249}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Brexit Party}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, Lance}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:Brexit Party MEPs]] [[Category:MEPs for England 2019–2020]] [[Category:English Jews]] [[Category:People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School]] [[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union]] [[Category:English people of Polish-Jewish descent]] [[Category:Jewish British politicians]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MEPs]]'