An MP who was stripped of the Tory whip over controversial comments he made about coronavirus vaccines has suggested he has been denied his right to freedom of speech.
Andrew Bridgen lost the Tory whip after he tweeted claims that Covid vaccines were the “biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust”.
This afternoon he published a video statement on YouTube in which he said he “wholeheartedly refutes any suggestions that I am racist”.
He said: “My tweet of 11th of January was in no way anti-Semitic. Indeed it alluded to the Holocaust being the most heinous crime against humanity in living memory.
“Of course, if anyone is genuinely offended by my use of such imagery then I apologise for any offence caused.
“I wholeheartedly refute any suggestions that I am racist and currently I’m speaking to a legal team who will commence action against those who have led the calls suggesting that I am.”
He added: “The fact that I have been suspended over this matter says much about the current state of our democracy, the right to free speech and the apparent suspension of the scientific method of analysis of medicines being administered to billions of people.”
Simon Hart, the Tory chief whip, had said that Mr Bridgen’s original comments had “crossed a line” and caused “great offence” while Rishi Sunak condemned the remarks as “utterly unacceptable”.
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