London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

Andrew Bridgen suspended as Tory MP over Covid vaccine comments

Andrew Bridgen suspended as Tory MP over Covid vaccine comments

Andrew Bridgen has been suspended as a Conservative MP for spreading misinformation about Covid vaccination.

It comes after the North West Leicestershire MP posted a tweet that compared vaccines to the Holocaust.

Tory chief whip Simon Hart said the comments had "crossed a line" and caused great offence.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also condemned the remarks, calling the comparison "utterly unacceptable".

Mr Hart said Mr Bridgen would lose the party whip - meaning he will sit as an independent - while a formal investigation takes place.

"As a nation we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme," the chief whip added.

"The vaccine is the best defence against Covid that we have. Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives."

The BBC has contacted Mr Bridgen for a comment.

The MP is currently serving a five-day suspension from Parliament for breaching parliamentary rules on registering financial interests.

Mr Bridgen was previously critical of policies like lockdown and vaccine passports but he praised the development of Covid vaccines, and tweeted proudly when he received his doses.

However, last autumn he began to make increasingly baseless claims including that vaccines were killing many people and that the damage was being covered up.

At first, he began highlighting some real, but rare, instances of genuine vaccine injury and misinterpreting real data to suggest these cases were more common than the research suggests.

In recent weeks, this rhetoric has increased.

Posting a link to an article on vaccines earlier, he said: "As one consultant cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust."

Extensive independent research shows that Covid vaccines are extremely effective at preventing deaths.

Serious side effects involving Covid vaccines, including approximately 60 deaths in England and Wales according to the Office for National Statistics, are rare, given the tens of millions of doses administered.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, called Mr Bridgen's comments "highly irresponsible and wholly inappropriate".

Lord Mann, an independent peer and former Labour MP who advises the government on antisemitism, said Mr Bridgen should be barred from standing for the Tories at the next election.

"He cannot claim that he didn't realise the level of offence that his remarks cause," he added.

Conservative chairman Nadhim Zahawi, a former vaccines minister, said he was "proud" of the UK's response to the pandemic, and he was "appalled" by Mr Bridgen's remarks.

"Any comparison made to the Holocaust is completely inappropriate, belittling one of the greatest horrors ever committed by humanity," he added.

A spokesman for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that suspending the whip had been "the right thing to do" and accused Mr Bridgen of "whipping up anti-vax conspiracy theories".

He said it was "regrettable" that the prime minister had not acted sooner to "slap down what he has been saying".

Asked whether he thought the MP's remarks were antisemitic, Sir Keir's spokesman said: "A one word reference to the Holocaust would not meet the definition of antisemitism, but it is unacceptable", adding that he would "defer to others who may be better placed to judge this".


Watch: The comments were also condemned by former Health Secretary Matt Hancock


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×