Stupid Tory MP Is Predictably Stupid

Whenever there is a Tory MP needed to trot out a reliably right-wing rent-a-quote response, the name of Andrew Bridgen is always somewhere near the top of broadcasters’ call lists. And when LBC wanted him to comment on concerns raised by the BMA over ending restrictions like the wearing of face coverings in two weeks’ time, off he went.

Don't forget, HS2 nicked his beer

What LBC also knew was that Bridgen had opened mouth and inserted boot in no style at all with his reply, so they quoted it with a suitable caveat. “The British Medical Association could be lobbied by the PPE industry to advocate for continued use of face masks after July 19, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen suggests”. Bridgen himself had no such qualms.

“Who can argue that the BMA are not ‘hand in glove‘ with the PPE manufacturers?” he asserted, somehow unaware that the correct answer is “nobody, because they aren’t”. This is what he told host Matt Frei: “I really would like, in the interests of transparency, for the BMA to declare what lobbying they’ve been put under”. Would he now? There was more.

“By the manufacturers of PPE, who’ve clearly got a financial interest in people continuing to wear these masks”. He repeated this, even after Frei intervened. David Wrigley, who you can tell as he’s a doctor, was unimpressed. “The accusation from [Andrew Bridgen] about [the BMA] should be withdrawn immediately & an apology issued. I’ve been part of the leadership of BMA throughout the pandemic & we’ve fought hard to get PPE to our colleagues fighting this deadly virus. BMA has NO affiliations with PPE companies”.

Ram Moorthy, who is an ENT surgeon, added “Fascinating that despite the wealth of stories regarding the awarding of contracts and issues of cronyism I have not seen any about NHS or doctor leaders being involved?”. Stuart Sutton, a GP and clinical director, put it more bluntly. “This is a truly shocking lie… I was incredibly concerned about our ability to provide sufficient #PPE to colleagues at the start of the pandemic. Consecutive Govts (including yours) failed to prepare & stockpile leading to dodgy contracts & failed flights to #Turkey I recall?” Our Government, it is true, has had some rocky moments.

Then came an intervention from the official BMA Twitter feed, and it was not good news for Bridgen. “This is wholly untrue and defamatory. The BMA has no commercial relationships with any PPE suppliers and our view that mask-wearing can reduce the spread of COVID-19 is based on the best available science. You should withdraw these irresponsible claims immediately”. They tagged the Government chief whip for good measure.

Seriously, this is a truly abysmal attempt at deflection, by smearing the very people who have done their best, despite the cronyism and general ineptitude of alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson and his pals. Or as Julie Tyler put it, “Bridgen worries about lobbying and cronies - and irony dies right in front of our eyes”.

Meanwhile, also on LBC, Jolyon Maugham of the Good Law Project was telling James O’Brien that “the latest [PPE] contract is ‘much much much worse’ than those he's seen before” and adding “Everybody within the orbit of the Conservative Party seems to have been rewarded with these enormously lucrative PPE contracts”.

What would be the sensible course of action here? What would a sensible person have done? What would Nietzsche have done? That’s right, Andrew Bridgen - apologise.

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