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Andrew James Bridgen (born 28 October 1964) is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for
North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Leicestershire, England. The towns in the district include of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville, Leicestershire , Coalville (where the council is b ...
from 2010 until 2024. He was a member of the Conservative Party until his expulsion in April 2023, having had the
whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...
suspended in January after criticising the efficacy of
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
s and claiming that a
cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
told him it constitutes "the biggest crime against humanity since
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
". He joined the
Reclaim Party The Reclaim Party is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2020 by English political activist and actor Laurence Fox, with all of its funding from a single donor, Jeremy Hosking. It does not solicit d ...
in May 2023 but resigned from the party in December 2023. During his parliamentary career, he supported efforts to remove Conservative
prime ministers A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rat ...
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
,
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, and
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth da ...
from office. He is a supporter of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
. In January 2023, Bridgen was suspended from the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
for five days after the house voted in favour of the recommendations of the Commons Select Committee on Standards which found that he had repeatedly breached rules over paid lobbying and declaring interests and that he also attempted to pressure the commissioner investigating his lobbying breaches. After leaving the Reclaim Party in December 2023, Bridgen sat as an independent MP for the rest of the term of the 2019 Parliament, announcing his decision to run as an independent for his constituency of North West Leicestershire at the
2024 United Kingdom general election The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a lan ...
, where he lost his seat and deposit.


Early life and career

Andrew Bridgen was born in
Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, on 28 October 1964. He attended
Netherseal Netherseal (or 'Netherseale') is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire,OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) :
Junior School, then Pingle School in
Swadlincote Swadlincote is a historic mining town in the district of South Derbyshire, in the county of Derbyshire, England. It lies within The National Forest (England), The National Forest area. It borders the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire ...
. He graduated from the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...
with a degree in
biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...
. After graduating, Bridgen began training as an officer in the
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
but did not complete the course. He then began work in his family's agricultural business. He served as the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
chairman of the
Institute of Directors The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a British professional organisation for company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is the UK's longest running organisation for professional leaders, having been founded in 1903 and inco ...
and on the East Midlands Regional Assembly as a business representative. In May 2009, he intervened in the "dirty tricks row" involving a councillor who had offered Conservative backing to ensure a village hall was built if an independent election candidate stood down. Bridgen blamed "intransigence of certain unelected individuals at the very top of the county council" rather than the individual councillors involved. Both Labour and Conservative council leaders criticised his intervention and the council solicitor wrote to ask for an explanation. A police investigation followed, and Cllr Nicholas Rushton temporarily stood down. Rushton denied wrongdoing and went on to become leader of the county council.


Parliamentary career

Bridgen was elected as the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP for
North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Leicestershire, England. The towns in the district include of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville, Leicestershire , Coalville (where the council is b ...
at the 2010 general election with 44.6% of the vote and a majority of 7,511. In July 2010, Bridgen became a member of the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, continuing to be a member throughout his parliamentary career. He was a member of the Advisory Panel to Professor Ragnar Löfstedt's report on Health and Safety and served on the Draft Deregulation Bill (Joint Committee) and Liaison Committee (Commons). On 9 June 2011,
allegations In law, an allegation is a claim of an unproven fact by a party in a pleading, charge, or defense. Until they can be proved, allegations remain merely assertions. Types of allegations Marital allegations There are also marital allegations: m ...
of
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
were made against Bridgen, leading to his arrest in London by the Metropolitan Police and subsequent release on bail. A week later the allegations were retracted as untrue, and police said no further action would be taken against Bridgen, or the woman concerned, Annabelle Fuller, a former employee of
UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...
. In a statement, Bridgen expressed his frustration that "such a ludicrous, false and unsubstantiated allegation" had received so much attention. In January 2013, Bridgen, interviewed on BBC Radio's '' PM'' programme, stated that good MPs were being put off by poor pay and were having to ask their families to make sacrifices. Bridgen stated he was one of the few MPs willing to speak publicly on the issue of MPs' low pay. It was reported that Bridgen received additional income from his family vegetable firm, and he was criticised by local Labour politicians for being 'out of touch'. In June 2015, following the announcement that MPs were to be awarded a 10% pay rise, Bridgen again spoke out, criticising wealthier cabinet ministers for publicly turning down the additional money, which he said he would take himself. In August 2014, AB Produce, of which Bridgen was director, was warned by the
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
that it could lose its licence if it did not remove a "urine-like" smell from two "lagoons" of putrid vegetable matter on the site. The smell had reportedly been a source of complaints from neighbours for several years, and following the enforcement action, the issue was resolved. Bridgen was re-elected as MP for North West Leicestershire at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 49.5% and an increased majority of 11,373. In 2015, Bridgen sold his constituency house in
Appleby Magna Appleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It includes the small hamlets of Appleby Parva and Little Wigston. Location The parish has a total collective po ...
for £2 million, under a government
High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...
(HS2) compensation scheme as the house is from the proposed route. The sale was also reported to be linked to his divorce proceedings. He was criticised by local campaigners for selling at the early stage under an "exceptional hardship scheme", but Bridgen argued he had lost more money than anyone else. In March 2017, Bridgen apologised for failing to declare during an HS2 debate that his home was being bought by the high-speed rail link. He made the apology in the House of Commons after being found to have breached the rules governing MPs' interests following an investigation by the Commons standards watchdog. However, Bridgen argued that he had been a consistent critic of High Speed 2, casting doubt on the economic benefits associated with the proposals, and the costs of the programme regardless of his property interests. Bridgen was criticised in May 2016 for claiming nearly £25,000 on expenses in a single year for staying in hotels in London. He stated that his use of hotels was cheaper than having a flat and was a short walk from Parliament when it finished late at night. During this time, he did not allow his staff to claim for expenses for hotel stays, saying "they come down and work for me two days in London, stay at their own expense down here, and then go back and then work in the constituency the rest of the time". Bridgen was again re-elected at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 58.2% and an increased majority of 13,286. In March 2018, Bridgen stated in Parliament that there were 'no rough sleepers' in his constituency of North West Leicestershire. Mark Grant, the manager of Leicester-based charity Action Homeless, responded that despite what official figures show, North West Leicestershire was a part of the county where the charity had most people presenting from. He added: "We know rough sleepers from North West Leicestershire migrate to Leicester to get access to services there that aren't available where they are from." Bridgen disputed the response and pointed to government investment in the area. Bridgen has been accused by '' Pink News'' of making homophobic statements. He has also been accused of anti-semitic statements. He has denied each allegation. On 7 August 2018, Bridgen supported comments made by
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, regarding the wearing of burkas by some Muslim women in Britain. On 14 October 2018, on BBC 5 Live radio, Bridgen, during a discussion of Brexit, incorrectly said that he and any British citizen was entitled to an
Irish passport An Irish passport () is the passport issued to Irish nationality law, citizens of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. An Irish passport enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as evidence of Irish nationality and citizenship of the Eu ...
as part of a special arrangement with the Republic of Ireland. According to Stephen Nolan, Bridgen then hung up the phone during the break for the news bulletin and then could not be contacted to clarify his remarks. Bridgen endorsed Boris Johnson during the 2019 Conservative leadership election. In November 2019, Bridgen apologised after defending Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg's comments suggesting that
Grenfell Tower fire On 14 June 2017, a List of fires in high-rise buildings, high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of Public housing in the United Kingdom, flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 British Summer Time, BST ...
victims should have concluded that the 'stay put' advice given by the
London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the Fire department, fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. 90), under the leadership of superintendent ...
was incorrect. Bridgen suggested on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
that Rees-Mogg would have made a better decision than the authority figures who gave the flawed advice. Bridgen later said: "I do not want to add in any way to the pain that this tragic event has caused. I apologise." At the 2019 general election, Bridgen was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 62.8% and an increased majority of 20,400. In April 2022 Bridgen was found by a High Court judge to have lied under oath in relation to claims that he made in court about his family business, AB Produce. It was found that he encouraged a
police inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
to investigate his brother, a director of the company, on false allegations of fraud. He also made false allegations about the reasons why he had left the company. In January 2024 Bridgen attracted criticism from other MPs after it emerged that he was planning to host an MEP from the German far-right party
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
in parliament.


Campaigns

Following a very serious injury to a constituent in July 2011, Bridgen called for legislation to ensure Britons travelling abroad have adequate medical insurance. Bridgen also sought to highlight the risks of head injuries associated with sporting injuries. He is a supporter of reform of the pub industry, supporting moves to introduce a market rent option for tied tenant publicans. Bridgen is a supporter of the Fair Deal For Your Local campaign. Bridgen supported calls for reform to the
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
. In June 2011, he attacked critics of Andrew Lansley's proposed NHS reforms, saying that they comprised "Stalinist protectionist elements". In 2012, Bridgen campaigned for the electrification of the
Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...
. Bridgen forced a Government U-turn in 2013 over plans for military intervention in Syria, when he organised a letter to the Prime Minister signed by 81 fellow Conservative MPs, demanding parliament be given a vote on whether the UK should send military assistance to anti-government
Syrian rebels A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the Syrian civil war (2011–present) as belligerents. The main groups were Ba'athist Syria and allies, Syrian opposition, the Syrian opposition and allies, Al-Qaeda and affiliate ...
. Bridgen later stated his support for air-strikes against
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
terrorists in Iraq. Bridgen successfully lobbied the government to cut
Air Passenger Duty Air Passenger Duty (APD) is an excise duty which is charged on the carriage of passengers flying from a United Kingdom or Isle of Man airport on an aircraft that has an authorised take-off weight of more than 5.7 tonnes or more than twenty seat ...
for children in 2014, a move backed by travel operators and supported by a 2013 study report. In 2014, Bridgen led calls to have non-payment of the TV licence fee made a civil rather than a criminal matter. The legislation in force "is effectively criminalising them for being poor", he told ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' and "most of those sent to prison as a result of non-payment are the elderly and women". The government later adopted Bridgen's proposal, which was also supported by the Labour Party, though the BBC said the potential loss of £200 million could lead to closure of channels. In 2017 Bridgen joined fellow local Conservative MP Heather Wheeler in campaigning for the return of passenger rail services on the Burton-to-Leicester railway line, the Ivanhoe Line.


European Union

Bridgen is a long-term critic of the European Union. In February 2016, he criticised the BBC for selecting pro-EU guests for the BBC ''
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
'' and BBC Radio 4 ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' programmes. He also stated that the BBC should not claim that Britain enjoyed a special status as David Cameron's EU renegotiations had not changed anything. He supported Leave in the 2016 referendum, going on to back group Leave Means Leave after the
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
vote, and signing a letter to the Prime Minister in September 2017. Bridgen was one of the 28 so called Tory "Brexit Spartans" who voted against Theresa May's Brexit deal all three times it was put to the House of Commons.


Relationship with other politicians

Bridgen was a critic of the former Conservative Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
. After calling for him to be replaced in 2013, Bridgen withdrew a letter of no confidence in 2014 after he failed to attract the support of enough colleagues to trigger a vote of no confidence. Three weeks before the EU referendum in 2016 he declared that Cameron's position was untenable and he would have to be replaced, possibly immediately after the vote. In July 2018, Bridgen wrote a letter of no confidence in relation to
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
, who had replaced David Cameron as Prime Minister, in which he argued she should be replaced as leader of the Conservative Party as her "promises over leaving the EU are all a pretence and a charade intended to dupe the electorate which is an insult to their intelligence." Bridgen raised concerns in 2010 to the Conservative whips' office about the behaviour of fellow Conservative MP Dan Poulter with female MPs. The ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' published these allegations, that Poulter had put his hand up the skirts of at least three female MPs, during the MeToo scandal in late 2017, and in November 2017 Bridgen reported Poulter to the Conservative Party's newly established disciplinary committee. No female MP had made any complaint about Poulter, and he was subsequently cleared of inappropriate behaviour claims in March 2018. Poulter took legal action for libel against ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', whose defence was that it was simply reporting accusations made by others against Poulter. However, the High Court ruled that the stories implied guilt of sexual assault, causing ''The Sunday Times'' to admit that the claims were false and it should not have published them, and paying substantial libel damages to Poulter. Bridgen has been an outspoken critic of the former Speaker of the House of Commons,
John Bercow John Simon Bercow (; born 19 January 1963) is a British former politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Pa ...
. In March 2018, he suggested Bercow should resign, and also reported him to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, to investigate whether he had broken the MPs' code of conduct. An inquiry into allegations that Bercow had bullied members of staff was subsequently blocked by MPs and he remained in post. Bridgen repeatedly called for disciplinary action and the resignation of Labour MP
Keith Vaz Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British politician who served as the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 Unit ...
over a range of different issues. In March 2019, Bridgen clashed with Conservative MP Ken Clarke in the House of Commons over the nature of
representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy or electoral democracy, is a type of democracy where elected delegates represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies func ...
. In January 2022, he submitted a letter of no confidence in
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
having previously backed him for leader in the 2019 leadership election, citing a "moral vacuum" at the heart of Government in relation to the lockdown parties, explaining his reasons for doing so in an article for ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
''.


Breach of standards

In November 2022, the Commons Select Committee on Standards confirmed Kathryn Stone's findings that Bridgen broke the MPs' code of conduct by approaching ministers and officials for a company that had given him a donation, a visit to Ghana, and offered him an advisory contract. The Standards Committee report stated that Bridgen emailed Stone asking about what he said were rumours that Boris Johnson would give Stone a peerage but this depended on her "arriving at the 'right' outcomes" during the Parliamentary Standards investigations. Bridgen was asked to apologise to Stone for trying to put her under unacceptable pressure. Stone's investigation found Bridgen failed to declare the trip, the donation, and a contract to advise the company. He also did not mention these when approaching ministers on behalf of the firm. The standards committee stated if Bridgen did not intend to take payments he should have cancelled or changed a contract stating the company would pay him £12,000 a year. The Standards Committee recommended a five day suspension from the Commons and this was enacted in January 2023. Bridgen's alleged offences included an "unacceptable attack upon the integrity" of Stone. Bridgen appealed against the finding. The Standards Committee said Bridgen showed a "very cavalier" approach to the rules and found he broke lobbying rules "on multiple occasions and in multiple ways". The Independent Expert Panel did not accept his appeal and stated "In our view the sanctions for breach of the rule against paid advocacy and for the email letter could properly and fairly have been more severe."


COVID-19 conspiracy theories

In December 2022, the British Heart Foundation criticised Bridgen for promoting claims that there was a conspiracy by the foundation to cover up evidence of mRNA vaccines increasing inflammation of heart arteries. Bridgen had called for a halt to
COVID-19 vaccinations A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, COVID19). Knowledge about the structure ...
. The charity "categorically" denied his allegations. On 11 January 2023, Bridgen had the Conservative whip suspended after tweeting about COVID-19 vaccines: "As one consultant cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust." Bridgen claimed the tweet had been moderated by staff members, which was denied by a Conservative Party spokesman. Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...
called the comparison "utterly unacceptable". Two days later, Bridgen issued a statement saying his tweet was not
antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
, and apologised "for any offence caused". He said he was taking legal advice about action against those who had labelled him as antisemitic. Bridgen further contended that he asked "reasonable questions" about the side-effects of mRNA vaccines, and had "received huge support from ordinary people, medical workers ndthose who have experienced vaccine harms themselves". In March 2023, Bridgen posted tweets promoting a conspiracy theory claiming that COVID-19 originated at
Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, it has hosted m ...
. On 29 February 2024, Bridgen referenced
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
as an appropriate response to "crimes against humanity" regarding the vaccine rollout.


Reclaim Party

On 12 April 2023, Bridgen was expelled from the Conservative Party in further reaction to his January comments that compared COVID-19 vaccinations with the Holocaust. In May 2023, he joined the
Reclaim Party The Reclaim Party is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2020 by English political activist and actor Laurence Fox, with all of its funding from a single donor, Jeremy Hosking. It does not solicit d ...
, becoming the party's first MP. He resigned from the party in December 2023.


2024 general election

Bridgen stood as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
in
North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Leicestershire, England. The towns in the district include of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville, Leicestershire , Coalville (where the council is b ...
at the 2024 general election, finishing second last with 3.2% of the vote. He lost his deposit of £500 by failing to meet the 5% vote threshold.


Personal life

Bridgen married his first wife, Jackie, in 2000 and they had two sons. Jackie was a Conservative councillor for the Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe ward of North West Leicestershire District Council from
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
until losing her seat in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
. Andrew and Jackie were divorced in 2012. Bridgen married the Serbian opera singer Nevena Pavlović in 2017.


Family legal dispute

Bridgen has been involved in a long legal battle against his own family's potato and vegetable business, AB Produce, stating the firm treated him unfairly and forced him out, while the business was suing him over claims he has failed to pay rent on a £1.5 million property owned by the firm. In April 2022, High Court Judge Brian Rawlings ruled against Bridgen, stating that he "lied under oath and behaved in an abusive, arrogant and aggressive manner", was "an unreliable and combative witness who tried to conceal his own misconduct", and "gave evasive and argumentative answers and tangential speeches that avoided answering the questions". After losing the case, Bridgen stated that "in actuality I won the case and my brother will be compelled by the Court in due course to repay considerable sums of money back to the businesses", adding "if courts always got everything correct the first time there would be no need for appeal mechanisms". In August 2022, Bridgen was evicted from the property, and ordered to pay £800,000 in legal costs.


Notes


References


External links


Official websiteProfile
on Conservative Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgen, Andrew 1964 births 20th-century Royal Marines personnel Alumni of the University of Nottingham British Eurosceptics Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Expelled members of the Conservative Party (UK) Independent members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Living people Military personnel from Staffordshire People from Burton upon Trent People from North West Leicestershire District Reclaim Party MPs Royal Marines officers UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 UK MPs 2017–2019 UK MPs 2019–2024