Andrew Bridgen open to Hancock apology in Covid legal row

Matt Hancock and Andrew Bridgen (Jacob King/Beresford Hodge/PA)

Ex-Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has suggested that he will withdraw his legal action against Matt Hancock if the former health secretary apologises.

Mr Bridgen, who was stripped of the Tory whip after appearing to compare Covid-19 vaccines with the Holocaust, said this week that he was suing Mr Hancock after he hit out at the MP over the remarks.

The MP tweeted on Thursday to confirm that he was planning to sue Mr Hancock over the row, saying that he “had a legal letter before action from Bad Law Team on my behalf regarding defamation on Monday”.

In an interview with GB News on Saturday, Mr Bridgen told the broadcaster that he was open to receiving an apology from the former Cabinet minister.

He said: “My lawyers have written to him with a very detailed letter laying out the case for defamation.

“The ball is very much in Matt Hancock’s court, he can apologise, he can make a payment which will go to those that have been vaccine harmed or we can take this further.

“It’s very much up to him.

“I can’t really comment on it a lot more than that because otherwise, my lawyers will go bonkers.”

Mr Bridgen, who has denied he is antisemitic while also defending his language about the safety of coronavirus vaccines, is having his legal action supported by the Reclaim Party and the Bad Law Project.

The project, which is linked to Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox, claims to oppose “political ideology disguised as law”.

“There are three stipulations there in the letter. It’s up to Matt Hancock now what he does. It’ll take him some time to digest that letter,” Mr Bridgen said.

“He had it last Monday. Let’s see what he comes back with. But I’m quite happy to pursue the case if that’s what he wants to do.”

Mr Hancock has so far refused to back down.

A spokesperson this week said: “What Matt said was obviously not libellous and he stands by his comments.

“Rather than wasting his time and money on an absurd libel case he will undoubtedly lose, let’s hope Bridgen does the right thing and apologises for the hurt he’s caused and keeps his offensive view to himself in future.”