Andrew Bridgen Threatens To Sue Matt Hancock For £100k In Antisemitism Row

Andrew Bridgen has vowed to sue Matt Hancock after the former health secretary criticised him for comments he made about the Covid-19 vaccine.

Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, was stripped of the Tory whip after appearing to compare Covid-19 vaccines with the Holocaust.

Hancock, who led the department of health during much of the pandemic, criticised Bridgen in parliament and later tweeted.

Bridgen is now suing Hancock over the Twitter message in which the former Cabinet minister accused him of spouting “anti-Semitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories” about the vaccine.

He previously told Hancock he would allow him three days to “apologise publicly for calling me an antisemite and racist or he will be contacted by my legal team”.

The backbencher insisted he is not antisemitic and defended his language about the safety of Covid vaccines.

In the days after the original remarks, he said he was not racist and was “speaking to a legal team who will commence action against those who have led the call suggesting that I am”.

He tweeted on Thursday: “I can confirm that Matt Hancock had a legal letter before action from Bad Law Team on my behalf regarding defamation on Monday.”

The legal action is being supported by the Reclaim Party and the Bad Law Project.

The project, which is linked to Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox, claims to oppose “political ideology disguised as law”.

A spokesperson for Hancock said: “What Matt said was obviously not libellous and he stands by his comments.

“Rather than wasting his time and money on an absurd libel case he will undoubtedly lose, let’s hope Bridgen does the right thing and apologises for the hurt he’s caused and keeps his offensive view to himself in future.”