The Conservative Party has expelled Andrew Bridgen MP after he appeared to compare COVID-19 vaccines to the Holocaust.
The move arrives after the Party removed the whip from Mr Bridgen in January following a tweet in which he posted an article about the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the lead American agency handling the US response to the pandemic. The article analysed reports made to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System which apparently indicate side-effects of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
In his tweet captioning the article, he wrote: “As one consultant cardiologist said to me this is the biggest crime against humanity since the holocaust.”
During and since the pandemic, anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes, including baseless and grotesque allusions to the Holocaust.
A Party spokesperson said: “Mr Bridgen was expelled from the Conservative Party on 12 April following the recommendation of a disciplinary panel. He has 28 days from this date to appeal.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he “completely condemns those types of comments in the strongest possible terms”, adding: “Obviously, it is utterly unacceptable to make linkages and use language like that, and I’m determined that the scourge of antisemitism is eradicated. It has absolutely no place in our society. And I know that the previous few years have been challenging for the Jewish community, and I never want them to experience anything like that ever again.”
Mr Bridgen said of his removal from the Party: “My expulsion from the Conservative Party under false pretences only confirms the culture of corruption, collusion and cover-ups which plagues our political system. I have been a vocal critic of the vaccine rollout and the party have been sure to make an example of me. I am grateful for my newfound freedom and will continue to fight for justice for all those harmed, injured and bereaved due to governmental incompetence. I will continue to serve my constituents as I was elected to do and intend to stand again at the next election.”
In 2014, Mr Bridgen attracted controversy when he suggested that “the political system of the world’s superpower and our great ally the United States is very susceptible to well-funded powerful lobbying groups and the power of the Jewish lobby in America.”
