UK lawmaker kicked out of Conservative parliamentary party over COVID tweets

LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmaker Andrew Bridgen has been removed from the parliamentary Conservative Party over comments made on Twitter relating to COVID-19 vaccines, the party said on Wednesday.

"Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offence in the process," said Simon Hart, the Conservatives' chief whip or head of party discipline.

"Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives. I am therefore removing the whip from Andrew Bridgen with immediate effect, pending a formal investigation."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James)