Andrew Bridgen threatens to sue Matt Hancock in Covid vaccine row

Andrew Bridgen is threatening to writer chap MP Matt Hancock aft the erstwhile wellness caput accused him connected Twitter of "anti-semitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories".

Mr Bridgen was suspended arsenic a Tory MP implicit a tweet likening the interaction of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust.

A missive sent connected his behalf is claiming £100,000 successful libel damages.

Mr Hancock - who had the Tory whip removed for his world TV quality - is lasting by his comments.

The quality centres connected tweets posted by the 2 autarkic MPs connected 11 January.

Above different Twitter connection questioning the information of Covid vaccines, Mr Bridgen wrote: "As 1 advisor cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest transgression against humanity since the Holocaust."

Mr Hancock tweeted that "disgusting and unsafe anti-semitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories spouted by a sitting MP this greeting are unacceptable and person perfectly nary spot successful our society".

His tweet was posted with a clip of himself asking a similarly-worded question during Prime Minister's Questions earlier that day.

On the aforesaid day, the North West Leicestershire MP mislaid the Tory whip pending a ceremonial investigation.

Chief Whip Simon Hart said: "The vaccine is the champion defence against Covid that we have.

"Misinformation astir the vaccine causes harm and costs lives."

He argued it was "in nary mode anti-Semitic" and added helium would proceed to inquire "reasonable questions" astir Covid vaccines.

A "letter earlier action" has been sent connected Mr Bridgen's behalf by a radical called The Bad Law Project, with the enactment of the Reclaim Party, led by histrion and activistic Laurence Fox.

According to the letter, Mr Bridgen believes the erstwhile wellness secretary's words were defamatory. He is calling connected Mr Hancock to retract and delete his statement, apologise successful the Commons and connected Twitter, and wage £100,000 successful damages.

A spokesperson for Matt Hancock said: "What Matt said was evidently not libellous and helium stands by his comments.

"Rather than wasting his clip and wealth connected an absurd libel lawsuit helium volition undoubtedly lose, let's anticipation Bridgen does the close happening and apologises for the wounded he's caused and keeps his violative presumption to himself successful future."

Mr Hancock is besides an autarkic MP. In November, helium had the Conservative whip suspended for joining the formed of the ITV show, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! portion Parliament was sitting.

The MP for West Suffolk, 44, announced past period that helium would not basal again astatine the adjacent wide election.

At the tallness of the Covid pandemic, helium was a salient fig successful quality conferences and media interviews, often speaking for the authorities erstwhile helium was wellness secretary.

He was forced to resign successful June 2021, erstwhile images emerged of him kissing advisor Gina Coladangelo, successful breach of societal distancing guidelines.