Andrew Bridgen Has Been Expelled From The Conservative Party
Andrew Bridgen pictured in June 2022 (Alamy)
2 min read
MP Andrew Bridgen has been expelled from the Conservative party following the recommendation of a disciplinary panel.
A Conservative Party spokesperson confirmed today that Bridgen was expelled earlier this month.
They said in a statement: “Mr Bridgen was expelled from the Conservative Party on 12th April following the recommendation of a disciplinary panel.
“He has 28 days from this date to appeal.”
Bridgen tweeted this afternoon that his expulsion had been "under false pretences" and that the Conservative Party had been "sure to make an example" of him.
"This is an issue of freedom of speech. No elected Member of Parliament should ever be penalised for speaking on behalf of those who have no voice," he added.
The MP for North West Leicestershire had the whip removed in January after comparing the Covid vaccine roll out to the Holocaust on Twitter.
Bridgen had said that the vaccines are "causing serious harms" and it is "the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust".
Chief Whip Simon Hart said at the time that Bridgen had “crossed a line” with his comments and caused “great offence in the process.”
He added: “As a nation we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme. Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives.”
At the time, Bridgen was serving a five day suspension from the Commons, having been found to have breached rules on paid lobbying and declaring interests.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
