Matt Hancock’s Attempt to Dismiss Andrew Bridgen’s Libel Case Fails
Mr. Bridgen alleges that his former colleague pursued a risky strategy by attempting to strike out the claim on the basis that the ‘defamatory’ post did not mention him by name.
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has failed in his attempt to dismiss a libel claim brought against him by MP Andrew Bridgen.
Mr. Bridgen is seeking to clear his name after being accused of anti-Semitism in a malicious social media post by Mr. Hancock, his former Conservative Party colleague, who he believes has a motive to discredit him.
MP for North West Leicestershire, Mr. Bridgen, expressed satisfaction with the judgment, stating that it will allow the case to proceed to trial. He contended that Mr. Hancock’s strategy to have the case struck out was unsuccessful.
The defamation case stems from a post made by Mr. Hancock on Jan. 11, 2023, on X (formerly known as Twitter), referencing a post by Mr. Bridgen shortly before.
During the hearing to strike out the case in February, the High Court judge learned that Mr. Bridgen shared an article link on the morning of Jan. 11 concerning Covid vaccine adverse reactions and fatalities, which he accompanied with a statement from a consultant cardiologist.
Shortly after Mr. Bridgen’s post, Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart announced the expulsion of Mr. Bridgen from the party for crossing a line with his statements.
Less than two hours later, Mr. Hancock posted on X criticizing what he deemed as antisemitic, anti-vax, conspiracy theories attributed to a sitting MP during Prime Minister’s Question Time.
Mr. Bridgen argues that the tweet was clearly about him, extremely defamatory, and intended to harm his reputation significantly.
The judgment ruled that Mr. Bridgen needs to provide more specific details on how people could have linked Mr. Hancock’s post to him.
Mr. Bridgen welcomed the judgment, emphasizing the importance of the case proceeding to trial and criticizing Mr. Hancock’s failed attempt to strike out the claim.
He hopes the government will take note of the judgment and suspend the use of mRNA vaccines immediately.
On the other hand, Mr. Hancock expressed satisfaction with the court’s finding that Mr. Bridgen’s claim was ‘defective’ and stated his confidence in winning the case if it is repleaded.
