A TORY MP has been accused of spreading “nonsense” about the Covid vaccine by a senior Conservative colleague.
Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, posted the unfounded claim that the jag used to prevent the spread of coronavirus was actually a “gene therapy”.
Sharing a post which claimed “Pfizer and Moderna Have Admitted in Federal Filings That Their mRNA Injections are Gene Therapy” from a Twitter account named “The Vigilant Fox”, Bridgen wrote: “The definition of vaccine was changed to allow the mRNA treatments to be called vaccines.
“They are actually a new type of drug called Gene Therapies.”
His post was called out as misinformation, with journalist Matthew Street writing: “This is false.
"Andrew Bridgen is now one of the sources of misinformation that his own government and the NHS are obliged to combat.
“Imagine being a doctor or nurse in his constituency who has worked through the pandemic to be faced by this.”
And Bridgen’s fellow Tory MP, Michael Fabricant, has now hit out at the “nonsense” claims about the Covid vaccine.
.mRNA Covid vaccines like those manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna have saved the #UK from the mass deaths still occurring in China.
— Michael Fabricant 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@Mike_Fabricant) January 4, 2023
“Deeply disappointed that an MP should tweet this,” Fabricant wrote, calling it “akin to the nonsense written about stem cell therapy a while back”.
“mRNA vaccines leading to bespoke treatments for previously incurable cancers and other diseases should not be held back.
“mRNA Covid vaccines like those manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna have saved the #UK from the mass deaths still occurring in China,” he added.
Bridgen has frequently posted on social media about Covid conspiracy theories over recent weeks and months, even being hit with a misinformation warning by Facebook.
It seems Facebook have decided to add warnings on to my posts, presumably because I don’t fit with their narrative. Is it any surprise that they are the largest donor to the ironically named FullFact charity? What are Facebook scared of? pic.twitter.com/GvnXfFiZKJ
— Andrew Bridgen (@ABridgen) December 15, 2022
Commenting at the time, the MP wrote on Twitter: “It seems Facebook have decided to add warnings on to my posts, presumably because I don’t fit with their narrative.
“Is it any surprise that they are the largest donor to the ironically named FullFact charity? What are Facebook scared of?”
Bridgen’s naming of FullFact comes after the fact-checking service posted multiple articles scrutinising his claims on the Covid vaccines.
One found: “Andrew Bridgen wrong to say Covid-19 mRNA vaccines aren’t recommended while pregnant or breastfeeding”, while another fact checked claims he made during a “Vaccines: Potential Harms” adjournment debate in the Commons on December 13.
In a separate post, FullFact found that the Covid vaccines are not “gene therapy” as Bridgen claims, writing: “The mRNA in certain vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna, has no way of altering your DNA.”
In December, Bridgen failed in his bid to overturn his recommended five-day suspension for a "very cavalier" series of breaches of lobbying rules.
The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) dismissed his appeal "on all grounds" and told the backbencher that he could reasonably have been handed a "more severe" punishment.
The Conservative Party and UK Government have been approached for comment.
