Andrew Bridgen: Ex-Tory MP quits Reclaim Party after seven months

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen has quit the Reclaim Party seven months after joining it.

He became the party's sole MP in May, after being expelled by the Tories for comparing the side effects of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust.

But in a statement, he said he had now decided to leave over a "difference in the direction of the party".

He added that he still supported Reclaim's "policies and values".

"I need to make a very important decision with a general election pending in the first half of next year," he added.

Laurence Fox, the actor who set up Reclaim in 2020, said the party wished him "every success in his bid for re-election in North West Leicestershire".

"As a reflection of that support, we have made a considerable donation to Andrew's campaign fund," he added.

In a press release, the party added they remained "aligned" in numerous policy areas but "feel they are better positioned to pursue their objectives independently".

Reclaim, which has put campaigning against "woke" policies in public institutions a key part of its platform, has said it plans to field candidates at next year's general election.

Mr Bridgen's decision to leave the party does not automatically trigger a by-election, and he will now sit as an independent MP.

After joining Reclaim, he rejected calls to trigger a by-election himself by resigning his seat, saying he didn't want to put his constituents through "two elections in 12 months" with the general election expected in 2024.

Mr Bridgen, first elected at the 2010 election, was suspended from the Commons for five days in January for breaching parliamentary rules on registering financial interests.

During his Commons suspension, he was then lost the Conservative whip after posting a tweet describing the Covid vaccine roll-out as "the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust".

His comments led to a wave of criticism, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling them "utterly unacceptable".

After serving his Commons suspension, he continued to sit as an independent MP but the Conservative Party went on to strip him of his party membership in April, following the recommendation of a disciplinary panel.