Lord Pickles brands Andrew Bridgen's comments 'beyond the pale' which 'trivialise' the Holocaust

12 January 2023, 07:40 | Updated: 12 January 2023, 11:49

Lord Pickles says Andrew Bridgen's comments 'trivialise' the Holocaust

By EJ Ward

Lord Pickles says Andrew Bridgen's comparison between the Covid vaccine and Holocaust are "beyond the pale" and "trivialise" the Holocaust.

The conversation comes after Andrew Bridgen was been stripped of the Tory whip after appearing to compare Covid-19 vaccines with the Holocaust.

The North West Leicestershire MP tweeted an article questioning the safety of the vaccines, adding: "As one consultant cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust."

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast Lord Eric Pickles, the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues, said Mr Bridgen no longer added anything to the Conservative brand.

Read more: Jewish groups condemn Andrew Bridgen over 'irresponsible' comparison between Covid vaccine rollout and the Holocaust

Lord Pickles told Nick it was "beyond the pale" to draw a comparison between the Holocaust and the Covid-19 vaccine program.

"These comparisons don't work, six million Jews died, countless Roma died, homosexuals, disabled people deliberately liquidated by an evil machine. That's why you can't do this comparison."

Lord Pickles went on to say during the Covid pandemic anti-vaxxers used the yellow star to imply they were victims too.

He said this just worked to "trivialise the Holocaust."

Matt Hancock brands comments by Andrew Bridgen as 'disgusting anti-semitic conspiracy theories.'

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the comments were "utterly unacceptable" and chief whip Simon Hart took action because the remarks "crossed a line".

Chief whip Simon Hart said: "Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offence in the process.

"As a nation, we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme. The vaccine is the best defence against Covid that we have.

"Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives. I am therefore removing the whip from Andrew Bridgen with immediate effect, pending a formal investigation."

Tory MP Michael Fabricant welcomed the decision, saying his former colleague will have "blood on his hands" if his comments stop people public getting vaccinated.

"If this deters people from being vaccinated and causes deaths as a direct consequence, he'll have blood on his hands. His tweets are wholly irresponsible."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, called the comments "highly irresponsible and wholly inappropriate".

Mr Bridgen is currently suspended from the Commons after he was found to have displayed a "very cavalier" attitude to the rules in a series of lobbying breaches.