Wednesday the Conservative Party suspended a lawmaker, Andrew Bridgen, after he spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and compared the inoculations to the Holocaust. Bridgen’s tweets questioned the safety of vaccines and said a cardiologist had told him “this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Bridgen’s comments and said they were “utterly unacceptable.”
Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart said Bridgen “has crossed a line, causing great offense in the process.”
“Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives. I am therefore removing the whip from Andrew Bridgen with immediate effect, pending a formal investigation,” Hart said.
He is currently suspended from Parliament for five days for violating lobbying rules. When he returns, he will sit as an independent lawmaker.