Matt Hancock social media post libel row continues in court
Susanna Reid confronts Matt Hancock over social distancing
Matt Hancock, the former Conservative health secretary, is being sued for libel by Andrew Bridgen, a former MP, over a social media post from January 2023.
Mr Hancock is challenging a High Court ruling that allowed Mr Bridgen’s libel claim to proceed to trial, arguing the case “should never have been brought.”
The dispute centres on a tweet by Mr Hancock, which described Mr Bridgen’s comments about Covid vaccines as “disgusting and dangerous antisemitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories.”
Mr Hancock’s legal team asserts his opinion was honest and expresses concern the case could be used to attack the Covid-19 vaccination scheme.
Mr Bridgen’s representative argues that Mr Hancock’s tweet was not antisemitic, given the context, and that Mr Hancock is attempting to avoid this conclusion.
