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Full Fact staff have been busy dispelling the misinformation spread by Mr Bridgen; first fact checking his vaccines claims in November—long before his suspension. We’ve had dialogue with Mr Bridgen and issued four separate correction requests to his office. We’ve also asked his constituents to do the same, and enabled them to do so via our website. Our rebuttals of his false claims have featured in the media 30 times and on 11th January, Full Fact’s CEO wrote to the then Conservative Party Chair Nadhim Zahawi. He stressed our concerns that Mr Bridgen had been allowed to make his claims for so long without consequence, and asked whether the party intended to endorse him at the next election.
Andrew Bridgen’s behaviour is shocking. Politicians’ words should not be putting lives at risk and his case is an acute example of the need for independent and diligent fact checking. By the time Mr Bridgen made his vaccines statements, our team of professional fact checkers had already spent years debunking Covid conspiracy theories, and could quickly and efficiently do the same to his false claims. It’s this ability that makes Full Fact unique in the UK and it’s our donors that make this possible. We’re grateful for all donations, but it’s regular giving that allows us to respond quickly to MPs' false claims, plan our campaigns effectively, and maximise our impact.
Please set up a regular gift today and help us stop MPs like Andrew Bridgen using their positions to spread misinformation.
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