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Watch: Andrew Bridgen crosses the floor

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Four months after losing the Tory whip, Andrew Bridgen finally has a new party. The maverick member for North West Leicestershire has today joined Laurence Fox’s Reclaim party as their first MP. In a Westminster press conference – held in the same room in which Douglas Carswell defected to Ukip – Bridgen hailed his new comrades and announced his intention to continue legal action against Matt Hancock over their long-running vaccines spat:

I have submitted a defamation claim to the Royal Court of Justice against one Matthew Hancock MP. The basis of my claim is that Mr Hancock’s accusation of antisemitism against me is a false slur to deliberately try and shutdown valid concerns raised by me on behalf of my constituents and thousands of others around the world about the safety and efficacy of experimental Covid 19 injections.

Then it was time for Bridgen to find a new seat in the House of Commons.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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