Andrew Bridgen, a member of the Conservative Party, lost the party whip after he tweeted a comparison between the introduction of the Covid vaccination and the Holocaust.
An official investigation will be conducted, since the North West Leicestershire MP’s remarks caused “grave offence,” as stated by Chief Whip Simon Hart.
In a statement released this morning, Hart said: “Andrew Bridgen’s actions have been deeply offensive. The progress made through the immunisation programme is worthy of national pride. Inaccurate information regarding the vaccine has tragic consequences. As a result, I am immediately suspending Andrew Bridgen from his position as Whip awaiting the outcome of an official inquiry into the matter.”
Bridgen tweeted this morning that vaccines are “creating major injuries” and are “the largest crime against mankind since the Holocaust.”
The member of parliament has been barred from the House of Commons for five days after being found in contempt of the rules governing both paid lobbying and the disclosure of financial interests.
After lawmakers got back from the holidays on Monday, they quickly voted to approve the proposal.
Members of Parliament from all parties were outraged by the comments made today, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who brought up the topic during Wednesday’s PMQs.
I fully reject the comments we witnessed this morning and I do so in the strongest possible terms,” he stated.
“Making connections like that and using hateful rhetoric has got to stop, and I will not rest until anti-semitism is eliminated. It has no place in modern culture.”
He called the past few years “difficult” for the Jewish community and vowed he would “never want them to endure anything like that ever again.”
One former cabinet member, Simon Clarke, was quick to tweet, “this is awful,” in response to the remarks.
Michael Fabricant, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Lichfield, criticised Bridgen’s comments as “wholly reckless.”
Through his Twitter account, he said “If this discourages vaccination and leads to deaths, he will be responsible for those deaths. His tweets are the epitome of carelessness.”
Margaret Hodge, a Labour member of parliament, said she was pleased by the decision to defrock Bridgen because it would send a “strong message.” “message to those who think vaccines and the Holocaust are similar.
She urged us to “just stop and think.”
Daisy Cooper, a member of Parliament for the Liberal Democrats, also deemed it a “positive” choice to suspend the whip.
What a tweezer she was! “Irrational beliefs in conspiracies and horribly insensitive parallels to the Holocaust have no place in British culture or the House of Commons.
Furthermore, a lawmaker should not spread such potentially harmful falsehoods.
The Conservative Party responded to the posters by saying, “The vaccine is the best defence that we have against COVID.” False information regarding the vaccine has real-world consequences.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews announced they will write to Nadhim Zahawi, the chair of the Conservative Party, to “express our profound concern and ask for clarification as to what action will be taken” before the suspension of the whip.
They made the statement, “It is abhorrent for a Member of Parliament to suggest that Covid vaccinations are the largest crime against humanity since the Holocaust.”
The comments “appalled” former vaccinations minister Zahawi, who later tweeted his dismay.
He continued, “Any comparison drawn to the holocaust is entirely unacceptable, diminishing one of the worst catastrophes ever committed by humanity.”
Holocaust Educational Trust CEO Karen Pollock agreed that the remarks were “utterly unacceptable” and “very irresponsible.”
After a series of whip suspensions over the past few months, 15 members of parliament are currently serving as independents.
When it comes to the green benches, MPs from Ed Davey’s party are more numerous than the Lib Dems, with 14 now serving.