Matt Hancock loses bid to throw out libel claim

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has lost a bid to have a libel claim brought against him thrown out.

Independent MP Andrew Bridgen claimed Conservative Mr Hancock wrote a "malicious" social media post about him in January 2023 that labelled him as antisemitic.

Mr Hancock's lawyers argued the claim against him should be thrown out as it did not have "a realistic prospect of success".

But High Court judge Mrs Justine Steyn only struck out certain parts of Mr Bridgen's claim.

A High Court judge was previously told that on 11 January last year, Mr Bridgen shared a link to an article "concerned data about deaths and other adverse reactions linked to Covid vaccines".

He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "As one consultant cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust."

Shortly after, West Suffolk MP Mr Hancock posted: "Disgusting and dangerous antisemitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories spouted by a sitting MP this morning are unacceptable and have absolutely no place in our society."

Mr Bridgen believed those reading the tweet knew it was about him and that it was "seriously defamatory and untrue".

He argued to the court it intended to cause "grievous harm" to his reputation.

During a preliminary hearing in London earlier this month, lawyers for Mr Hancock argued the case should be thrown out over the "lack of a properly articulated case".

In a ruling earlier, Mrs Justine Steyn struck out certain parts of Mr Bridgen's case but did not dismiss the whole claim.

Instead the independent MP was given the opportunity to make amendments and "remedy the deficiencies".

Aidan Eardley KC, for Mr Hancock, previously described Mr Bridgen's case as "hopeless" in regards to the way it was set up and in relation to the argument that a reader of his tweet - which echoed comments made earlier that day in Parliament - would have assumed it referred to the North West Leicestershire MP.

Christopher Newman, representing Mr Bridgen, told the court his client had the Tory whip removed the day of his tweet and "no one was confused" about who Mr Hancock was referring to.

Mr Newman added: "No honest person could hold the view that Mr Bridgen is antisemitic when there is no evidence at all that he is."

The post by Mr Hancock was allegedly viewed by 4.2 million people.

The judge said Mr Bridgen’s legal arguments over how the disputed tweet allegedly referred to him were “defective” but could be “cured”, and he should be “given an opportunity to amend”.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said the MP "welcomed" the fact "a core part" of Mr Bridgen's claim had been struck out.

"Mr Bridgen has been told if he wants to put forward a non-defective case then he can do so, and if he does we will obviously continue to fight it, and are highly confident of winning," they said.

Mr Hancock later posted on X: "Delighted the court found Andrew Bridgen's libel claim against me to be 'defective'.

"If he repleads his claim, then we will fight that too, and on the basis of the judgment I'm highly confident we'll win and seek full costs."

Mr Bridgen told the PA news agency: "Obviously the case will move forward. They failed to get it struck out.

"We will just modify the pleadings."

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