The Conservatives have been urged to remove the whip from a Tory MP who referred to the Holocaust in a debate about Covid vaccines.
Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, posted data on Twitter which claimed to list potential adverse effects of the Covid vaccines.
Bridgen has previously made disputed claims about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Fact-checking charity Full Fact has issued a number of corrections to Bridgen’s claims.
Former Tory cabinet minister Simon Clarke branded Bridgen’s comments “disgraceful”.
Christian Wakeford, the Labour MP for Bury South who defected from the Tories, called for the whip to be removed.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The vaccine is the best defence that we have against Covid. Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives.”
Bridgen — who is currently serving a five-day suspension from parliament for breaching lobbying rules — has previously been urged to apologise and correct a number of claims he has made about Covid vaccines.
Last month he claimed during prime minister’s questions that mRNA Covid vaccines were not recommended for pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding.
Full Fact responded by saying Bridgen’s claims about pregnant women and breastfeeding were incorrect, while Labour and the Lib Dems urged him to correct the record and apologise for peddling “dangerous” claims.
In response to Bridgen’s question, Rishi Sunak told MPs he believes “Covid vaccines are indeed safe and effective”, but added: “No vaccine, Covid or otherwise, will be approved unless it meets the UK regulator standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
“We have an independent body that JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) determines which age groups the vaccine is recommended for use in, and as part of the vaccination programme. And, of course, the ultimate decision will lie with parents.”