The High Court was previously informed that Andrew Bridgen wishes to “clear his name” following Mr. Hancock’s purported accusations of antisemitism in a “malicious” social media post.
The tweet from January 2023 was a reaction to a statement about COVID-19 vaccinations made by Mr. Bridgen, an independent who is currently a Tory MP.
When Mr. Bridgen shared a link to an article “concerning statistics on deaths and other bad effects linked to COVID vaccines” on January 11, he remarked, “As one specialist cardiologist commented to me, this is the largest crime against mankind since the Holocoust.
A few hours later, Mr. Hancock, who is now known as news, stated that the “disgusting and dangerous antisemitic, anti-vax, and anti-scientific conspiracy theories spouted by a sitting MP this morning are unacceptable and have absolutely no place in our society” on Twitter.
The court was informed that Mr. Bridgen feels “everyone reading the tweet knew it was about me,” that it was “seriously defamatory and untrue,” and that it was meant to inflict “grievous harm” to his reputation.
Mr. Hancock’s attorneys claimed during a preliminary hearing earlier this month in London that the claim against him should be dismissed due to the “lack of a properly articulated case” and the lack of “a realistic prospect of success.”.
