Laurence Fox was told by a doctor: ‘I sometimes wonder why you exist’ during a heated debate over Covid vaccines on his GB News show.
The Inspector Lewis actor was joined by Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter School of Medicine, to discuss a critical report on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) rollout of the vaccines ).
Fox, 44, said on his show on Thursday: “The report is brutal and if, as many would suspect, it’s part of a restricted hangout, it certainly leaves a lot of hanging around. Going further than before in breaking the veil of secrecy and highlighting the reckless idiocy of our beleaguered health regulator.
“It concludes that the MHRA has failed in its duty to protect the public from harm … it has not been quick to respond to widespread reports of hostile reactions to the so-called vaccines.”
He then began questioning the Astra-Zeneca vaccine by citing examples of people who reportedly developed blood clots after getting the shots.
Dr. Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school, accused Laurence Fox of having his ‘own agenda’ in debating Covid-19 vaccines
He said: ‘For the 100th time, we factualists of conspiracy theories are right again.
“It will take many years for society to come to terms with the harm done to us as quacks or thugs, depending on which side of the c**k-up conspiracy argument you fall…
“People are still wavering and hindsight isn’t as sharp as it will ever be sure.”
Dr. Pankhania, who has more than 25 years of experience in infectious disease control and infectious disease management, when asked about his thoughts, replied, “I sometimes wonder why you exist, to be honest.
“A lot of these things that you spit out, just send things that make people worry are unverified, not factual.
‘You just have your own agenda, I think. You are merely expressing your biased opinion. That’s how I feel about you.’
Appalled by the doctor’s comments, Fox replied, “I didn’t ask you what you thought of me, I asked you what you thought of the conversation.”
Pankhania then said, ‘I feel for you, your statements and the panelists you have brought together.
Fox imagined arriving in March earlier this year in support of right-wing group Turning Point UK
In 2020, Fox was caught up in another row as he rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling during question time when he denied Meghan Markle’s treatment was racist, declaring “Oh my God” when he was a “white privileged man” was named.
“I was brought up on this program now, I was told I’m going to have a one-on-one conversation with you, and all of a sudden I’m in a panel discussion.”
He also claimed the entire interview was an “ambush” because he was not told they would be discussing the report Fox was referring to.
Dr. Pankhania has been teaching Imperial University Masters in Public Health for over 12 years and was appointed as their Honorary Senior Lecturer.
He also spent 13 years as a communicable disease consultant at Public Health England.
When asked what he thought of the MHRA, the senior clinical lecturer added: ‘It’s staffed by very skilled, very skilled people who have served the country well.
“They’ve done their job of being independent and they’re doing a great job of protecting the health and well-being of the nation…the MHRA is absolutely fit for purpose.”
Discussing the safety of Covid-19 vaccines, he concluded: “Overall, on the balance between good and evil – the good far outweighs the harm.”
The interview went viral shortly after it aired, receiving mixed opinions from social media users.
One person tweeted, “Expert slaps the wet fish of reality around Laurence Fox’s smug, titled pork chops.”
But another user wrote: ‘I think smug would be a very accurate description of this doctor, not Fox.”
Another also added: ‘Strange reaction, I see a rather rude and arrogant doctor responding to Laurence Fox’s perfectly straightforward and polite questions.’
