Andrew Bridgen shared an obviously fake document and got community noted – 12 additional takedowns
Former Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who lost the Conservative whip for comparing the Covid vaccine to the Holocaust, isn’t a man known for his intellect.
When it comes to gaffes, cock-ups and self-owns, however, he’s outstanding in his field. Let’s take a look.
1. He unironically posted this meme.
2. He spelt his own name incorrectly on his official Christmas card.
A lovely Christmas card from a local politician. A tree, a star……himself obviously.
Shame he spelt his own name wrong.
Whoops.
Merry Christmas Andrew Bridgen/Brigden @ABridgen pic.twitter.com/n1TcHpgI3G
— Ian Stringer (@StringerSport) December 12, 2023
3. He insisted that English people are automatically entitled to an Irish passport.
LISTEN: How much do Tory MPs know about the Irish border issue? Prominent Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen reckons all English people are automatically entitled to Irish passports
FULL: https://t.co/Lw0vjwQdR4 pic.twitter.com/1WjGtbDeo5
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) October 15, 2018
4. He wanted the London Metropolitan Police to investigate Keir Starmer‘s Durham curry.
5. Earlier this month, he compared the rollout of the vaccine to the Post Office scandal.
"We'll do everything possible to deliver that compensation as quickly as possible"
Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake responds to Andrew Bridgen's criticism of delays to the Horizon IT scandal compensation schemehttps://t.co/ygqADys0De pic.twitter.com/tZnhW16Cn6
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 22, 2024
6. He broke lobbying rules, so the Parliamentary Standards Committee suspended him for five days.
Andrew Bridgen has been suspended for 5-days from Parliament after he showed a very cavalier attitude to the rules in a series of lobbying breaches..#KayBurley #BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/wg6dRGpqWF
— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) January 10, 2023
We could go on, but we won’t.
It was no surprise, then, when he shared what to everybody else was obviously a fake document.
That sound is a thousand palms meeting faces. Almost inevitably, the Community Notes arrived.
Not only is it fake – it’s old and fake.
Fact Check : This fake document was first published in 2019, and it was busted then, too. There is no such document.
Bridgen's argument is so without foundation that he has to use old hoaxes for clicks. pic.twitter.com/9HBxpBFYo1
— John O'Connell (@jdpoc) February 25, 2024
It wasn’t just Community Notes calling him out.
1.
I’m beginning to think the millions that Andrew Bridgen gets from a hedge fund manager might just be pieces of paper with the Queen’s head drawn on in biro. https://t.co/EdiQqroGxm
— Matthew Sweet (@DrMatthewSweet) February 25, 2024
2.
I love that this total clown got taken in by such utter and completely obvious bollocks, got comprehensively bodied about it, and left it up anyway.
has anyone got Andrew's contact details, I need to see him about these magic beans https://t.co/cq3MJWqHj5
— dan hett (@danhett) February 26, 2024
3.
Just Andrew Bridgen promoting a fake document… getting called out and proudly leaving it up.
What is your excuse Andrew? https://t.co/XWQNBgI9qb
— Otto English (@Otto_English) February 25, 2024
4.
Outrageous, especially when what they should be doing is making sure actual MPs aren’t dumb enough to fall for 4-year-old fake documents they find on the internet. https://t.co/8kJ756G7Rr
— Chris York (@ChrisDYork) February 25, 2024
5.
When we talk about needing to improve the quality of MPs, we’re not usually talking about things this completely stupid. But this is still an elected member of parliament sharing one of the most obviously faked documents on the internet. https://t.co/BUzdRsHKkd
— James Ball (@jamesrbuk) February 25, 2024
6.
“The creatures outside looked from Bridgen to potato, and from potato to Bridgen, and from Bridgen to potato again; but already it was impossible to say which was which” https://t.co/vAV1NQF8GW
— Andy Parmo (@Andy_Parmo) February 25, 2024
7.
You have to wonder if Bridgen a) believes this is real, or b) knows it's a stupid fake and is nonetheless sharing it knowing the feebleminded shitwits who follow him will lap it up. Either way, it's very, very poor from an MP. https://t.co/UVU7eHWef8
— Kate (@katebevan) February 25, 2024
8.
Apparently, Andrew Bridgen MP actually is as stupid as you thought. Who knew that was even possible. https://t.co/scgHn7Mz0H pic.twitter.com/NIROI9edFq
— Dr Sam (@PerryWadeSam) February 26, 2024
9.
I'd say you can judge the value of your system of checks and balances on whether there are any significant consequences for a sitting legislator who approvingly amplifies what is very obviously neofascist misinformation. https://t.co/JXIDqSY5L4
— Sean Biggerstaff (@Seanchuckle) February 26, 2024
10.
or because you are extremely credulous and this could have been knocked up on Word in about five minutes https://t.co/r3VtRkVDR7
— Emma (@scousepie) February 25, 2024
11.
I mean it’s circled in red gang what more evidence do you need https://t.co/nDTnFRBE2y
— Godspeed You Black Tamperer (ft Maya) (@twlldun) February 25, 2024
12.
I work for the board of trustees at the WEF and I can confirm this is accurate.
However, there is an amended version of this document. It that states that the main source of protein in the future will be sourced from the moon, which as we all know is made of cheese.— brucie.eth (@famousbruce) February 25, 2024
It’s sort of funny, but also not.
It's hard to overstate how much damage Facebook memes targeted at people with the media literacy of a potato do to society.
Mr Bridgen is an elected MP and here he is credulously sharing a document faker than professional wrestling with 200k+ people from his grey tick account. https://t.co/j7iY4qiaHe
— Dmitry Grozoubinski (@DmitryOpines) February 26, 2024
‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice …’
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Andrew Bridgen getting trolled on Newsnight was worth every penny of the licence fee
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