North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen, who was expelled from the Conservative Party last month, has been unveiled today as Reclaim’s first MP. The controversial MP, who regularly clashed with the Tory leadership, was finally thrown out over his questioning of the vaccine rollout.
Mr Bridgen today accused the main parties of “being scared” and “abandoning the public” as he joined the movement funded by actor Laurence Fox thas has questioned Covid policies on lockdown and vaccines, and taken on woke and cancel culture.
In a statement Mr Bridgen said: “There has been much speculation following my suspension and subsequent expulsion from the Conservative Party as to my next move.
“Despite having a right to an appeal and strong grounds to pursue one, I have decided not to do so.
“This is because I have lost faith in the Conservative Party and the impartiality of its disciplinary procedures.
“Even if I were to be given a fair hearing, which I doubt, I would not wish to rejoin the party after the treatment received by myself and my family over the past few years.”
He added: “I feel now that the party no longer represents the people of this great country.
“If I am to represent my constituents and countrymen it must be from outside the party which I have served dutifully for many decades.
“This has not been an easy decision, and I am saddened that I have been left with no other choice.
“The culture in Parliament has become toxic, and the main parties have become monolithic and scared; they have abdicated duty and abandoned the public.”
Mr Bridgen, who had backed Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, warned that Britain now “needs a genuine electoral alternative.”
He said: “I feel now that there is no other way to resolve this impasse but to create a genuine electoral alternative.
“The opposition is no longer an opposition, and a vacuum has formed for real opposition to take its place. For those reasons amongst others, I have taken the decision to defect.
“I will be standing again in North West Leicestershire at the next election. Not as a Conservative, but as a Member of the Reclaim Party.
“More than anything, the Reclaim Party stands for freedom of speech. It is essential that Members of Parliament are able to voice the concerns of their constituents. And I will continue to do that.
“I will cross the floor today, Wednesday 10th May, and sit on the opposition benches as a the first Member of Parliament for the Reclaim Party. I say first because I have no doubt I will not be the last. This is just the beginning.
“If the Conservative Party wish to contest my seat they can do so at the next General Election.
“I have more confidence that I will win my seat than the vast majority of sitting Conservative MPs, so I welcome the challenge should the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Party wish to take it.”
Mr Bridgen has been vocal on his criticism of the mRNA vaccine.
Critics have accused Mr Bridgen of being “a conspiracy theorist” but he has received support from around the world including potential Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The final straw came for Rishi Sunak when he tweeted a quote from an Israeli academic that the vaccine rollout was the worst crime against humanity since the Holocaust.
He was immediately suspended from the party with former Health Secretary Matt Hancock claiming the Tweet was “anti-Semitic.”
However, Mr Bridgen was supported by a group of Jewish academics whose letter to the Prime Minister was never acknowledged.
The backing did not save Mr Bridgen who was expelled from the Tories ahead of the local elections.
At the press conference Mr Bridgen said he would not be submitting himself for a by-election after changing his party.
He said: “I think we are going to have a general election very soon and I don’t think voters like unnecessary elections.”
Mr Fox said: “I don’t think anybody elected Rishi Sunak, maybe he should submit himself for an election.”
The Reclaim leader also hinted that other MPs may soon be joining Mr Bridgen standing for his party.
He said Reclaim would not stand in all 650 seats but would “target” Labour and Tory MPs “where wokness is an issue.”
Introducing Mr Bridgen as his party’s first MP, Mr Fox joked that they “have as many MPs now as the Greens.”
He added that the Conservatives “have cruelly cancelled Andrew, a good MP.”
Ben Habib from Reform UK was at the press conference, suggesting that the two parties may cooperate in a general election.
Mr Habib told Express.co.uk: “We are friends. There’s no point fighting each other for the section of the vote we are targetting.”
