Almost every elected MP in Westminster decided to give Andrew Bridgen’s latest crusade against the COVID-19 vaccines a miss this week, after he ramped-up the rhetoric once more during a debate in the House of Commons.
Parliament ‘almost empty’ for Andrew Bridgen’s latest rant
Bridgen had the whip removed by his seniors in the Conservative Party earlier this year, when he compared the coronavirus vaccine campaign to the Holocaust. The abhorrent comments caused an almighty outrage, but he still remains in his position as an MP.
His social media output is now almost exclusively anti-vax content. He has rallied against the reported side effects of the jabs, while failing to acknowledge the scientific evidence of their life-saving capacities. Bridgen is staking his entire reputation, and political future, on this path.
Anti-vax MP not backing down on controversial stance
However, if his latest performance in Parliament is anything to go by, he might need to start thinking about a ‘Plan B’. Speaking at an adjournment debate on Friday, Mr. Bridgen started his address with an already-sparse audience, before the numbers dwindled further.
Andrew Bridgen rallies anti-vax crowd, conspiracy theorists
More than a dozen of the remaining MPs upped sticks and left the chambers almost immediately. Andrew Mitchell, one of the more senior politicians in attendance, also got up and left. Unfortunately, however, he has since been targeted by anti-vaxxers online.
The skeptics believe Mitchell used his influence to usher-out most of the remaining MPs. It wasn’t long before pictures of him meeting Bill Gates were plastered across Twitter, and the conspiracy theorists filled their boots, speculating about a possible ‘cover-up’.
Parliament ‘not interested’ in vaccine criticism
Alas, Andrew Bridgen’s credibility crisis is a solely self-made one. Callous comments made at the start of the year were deemed unpalatable by a large majority of his fellow Tory MPs. As a result, Bridgen is becoming an isolated figure in Westminster.
Very isolated, indeed…
