Andrew Bridgen earned just 3% of the vote – and LOST his deposit

Former Conservative and Reclaim MP Andrew Bridgen reached the end of the road last week – arguably becoming one of the most high-profile candidates to lose his deposit in the 2024 General Election.

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Who is Andrew Bridgen? Former Tory and Reclaim MP loses seat to Labour in Leicestershire

The politician gained notoriety during the pandemic, due to his rejection of the COVID-19 jabs. He made a series of dubious claims about their safety and infamously compared the vaccine roll-out to the Holocaust, which cost him the Tory whip.

He briefly joined the Reclaim Party, founded by Laurence Fox, only to quit several months later. Andrew Bridgen then ended up losing a libel claim against Matt Hancock, and he was ordered to pay £40,000 in costs.

Bridgen also clashed frequently with Penny Mordaunt, another prominent figure who was voted out of office on Thursday. The former Cabinet minister had previously described him as a ‘conspiracist’ and ‘the first cuckoo of spring’.

Staunch opponent of COVID vaccines loses his seat… and his deposit

Since the pandemic, Mr. Bridgen has seen his political career take a nosedive. However, the former MP for North West Leicestershire surely could not have the sheer scale of this defeat coming. He eventually finished SIXTH in his constituency.

Labour ended up winning the hotly contested seat by just over 1,000 votes, defeating the Tory candidate who ended in second place. Reform came third, with the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats taking fourth and fifth respectively.

Andrew Bridgen brought up the rear with 1,568 votes, and could only best an independent candidate who returned 136 ballots. His vote share fell to just 3.2%, and by failing to meet the 5% threshold, the anti-vax campaigner lost his £500 deposit.