An MP who compared Covid vaccines to the Holocaust has been charging taxpayers for Twitter premium, The Independent can reveal.
Andrew Bridgen, the outspoken North West Leicestershire MP who was kicked out of the Conservative Party after his comments, has claimed “Twitter paid services” on his expenses.
Mr Bridgen billed the expense, which gives users of X, formerly known as Twitter, expanded reach, prioritised tweets and other premium features, as an “office cost” for “software and applications”.
So far taxpayers have stumped up just over £100 to fund Mr Bridgen’s account.
The page has railed against so-called “gender ideology” and continues to question the efficacy of the Covid vaccines.
Since losing the Tory whip, Mr Bridgen has joined former actor Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party. He defied calls to resign his seat and contest a byelection, with Labour’s candidate in North West Leicestershire urging him to “put his extreme views to the test”.
Reclaim was formed to challenge “woke orthodoxy” and rails against the notions of white privilege and systemic racism.
Its website claims to promote “freedom of speech”, which it views as being “under grave peril”, with Mr Fox previously criticising the “climate hoax” and “Covid scam”.
Mr Bridgen is currently suing former health secretary Matt Hancock for libel, after Mr Hancock said his comments were “disgusting and dangerous antisemitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories”.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt has said she pities Mr Bridgen if he believes the claims he is making.
She has said he should “check his behaviour” if he does not believe the claims and is “repeating them for another matter”.
Ms Mordaunt also advised Mr Bridgen to research some of the claims he has made, with one post on Twitter alleging the US Department of Defence was “responsible for both the virus and the vaccines”.
Mr Fox, who leads Mr Bridgen’s party and stood unsuccessfully in the recent Uxbridge byelection, was recently cleared of wrongdoing after he was filmed setting fire to a row of Pride Progress flags on Father’s Day.
The Independent has contacted Mr Bridgen for comment.
