Andrew Bridgen has been suspended as a Conservative MP, for disseminating false information on the Covid vaccine.
This is in response to a tweet made by the MP for North West Leicestershire in which the Holocaust was compared to vaccines.
The remarks, according to Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart, “crossed a line” and sparked a great deal of offense.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also condemned the remarks, calling the comparison “utterly unacceptable”.
While a formal investigation is being conducted, Mr. Hart stated that Mr. Bridgen will lose the party whip and hence sit as an independent.
The chief whip continued, “As a nation, we should be quite proud of what has been accomplished through the vaccine program.”
“The best defense we have against Covid is the vaccine. Inaccurate information regarding the vaccine harms people and claims lives.”
Due to breaking the parliamentary rules on disclosing financial interests, the MP is currently serving a five-day suspension from the parliament.
He has gotten louder in recent weeks when criticizing campaigns to vaccinate individuals against COVID-19.
He claimed, after posting a link to an article on vaccinations, “This is the largest crime against humanity since the Holocaust,” quoting a consulting cardiologist.
The comments were deemed “extremely reckless and completely inappropriate” by Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Andrew Bridgen had opposed vaccination requirements and laws requiring lockdowns, but he applauded the creation of the Covid vaccine and tweeted with pride after receiving his doses.
It wasn’t until last autumn that he began to make increasingly baseless claims, including that the vaccines were killing many people and that the damage was being covered up.
A representative for Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed that suspending the whip was “the proper 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”.