TORY MP Andrew Bridgen has had the whip suspended by the Conservative Party for spreading misinformation about the Covid vaccine, chief whip says.
The MP had already been suspended from the Commons for five days after displaying a “very cavalier” attitude towards lobbying.
The suspension was agreed in the Commons unopposed, although Bridgen was not able to attend.
This morning, Bridgen posted a tweet where he quoted an unnamed cardiologist who told him that vaccines were "the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust".
Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart said: "Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offences in the process.
"As a nation we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme. The vaccine is the best defence against COVID that we have.
"Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives. I am therefore removing the whip from Andrew Bridgen with immedate effect, pending a formal investigation."
Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay condemned Bridgen's comments and questioned the Tories decision to allow him to stand as an MP in the first place.
She told The National: "These are crass, insensitive and disgraceful comments. Even by the standards of Andrew Bridgen they are utterly shameful. The fact that they come at a point when he is already suspended from the House of Commons for breaching lobbying rules is a sign if how low those standards are.
"COVID vaccines have saved lives. All politicians and parties have a responsibility to tackle misinformation, particularly when it comes to public health.
"The Tories are right to remove the whip, but it also raises questions about why they ever thought someone with the attitudes and track record of Andrew Bridgen was ever an appropriate person to be an MP."
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak condemned the comments made by Bridgen at PMQs, saying “it is utterly unacceptable to make linkages and use language like that”.
In response to a question by former health secretary Matt Hancock, who said the views expressed by Bridgen were “deeply offensive” and “anti-scientific”, Sunak said: “Can I join with my right honourable friend in completely condemning those types of comments that we saw this morning in the strongest possible terms.
“Obviously it is utterly unacceptable to make linkages and use language like that.
“I’m determined that the scourge of antisemitism is eradicated. It has absolutely no place in our society. I know that the previous few years have been challenging for the Jewish community and I never want them to experience anything like that ever again.”
