The expelled former Tory MP Andrew Bridgen is set to face off the ex-health minister Matt Hancock MP at the High Court today over his libel claim.
The legal battle between two independent MPs that have both had the Tory whip suspended from them, started over a tweet Hancock sent on X back in January 2023.
Bridgen was suspended by the Tories on 11 January 2023 over a “disgraceful” tweet which appeared to say the delay in releasing safety data on Covid-19 vaccines was the worst crime since the Holocaust. That tweet was widely condemned and has has since been deleted by him.
On the same day, Hancock, who has had the Tory whip removed for his reality TV appearance, took to X to share a tweet on his question at Prime Minister questions (PMQ) alluring to the news of Bridgen from that morning.
Hancock tweeted “the disgusting and dangerous antisemitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories spouted by a sitting MP this morning are unacceptable and have absolutely no place in our society.”
Bridgen took to X two days later calling on Hancock to “apologise publicly for calling me an antisemite and racist or he will be contacted by my legal team”.
Over a week later, he took to X again to confirm that “a legal letter before action” was sent to Hancock from The Bad Law Project on his behalf regarding defamation.
According to Parliament records, Bridgen went on to raise nearly £90,000 in crowdfunding support for the defamation action sent from the crowdfunder website, Democracy. The fund was valued at £87,080 of 31 May 2023, with a total of £4,319 drawn down for court fees.
The High Court claim system shows that Hancock instructed London-headquartered law firm RPC to defend him in this lawsuit.
The parties will appear for the first time in court today as Hancock’s legal team applied to the court for a strike out application. According to Bridgen, the application alleges that his “claim is bound to fail” because he wasn’t named in Hancock’s tweet.
The parties will be before Mrs Justice Steyn this morning for the application notice from 10:30am at the Royal Courts of Justice.