Laurence Fox apologises in court for calling people ‘paedophiles’ in Twitter row

Laurence Fox has issued an apology in court to two individuals he labelled "paedophiles" during a Twitter dispute that triggered a High Court libel case. The founder of the Reclaim Party claimed he was attempting to downplay the accusation of being labelled a racist in discussions on the social media platform, now known as X. These exchanges revolved around Sainsbury's decision to create a safe space for black employees during Black History Month.

The 45-year-old actor-turned-political activist had called for a boycott of the supermarket in October 2020, leading to accusations of racism by drag artist Crystal, former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake, and actress Nicola Thorp. In response, Fox referred to each of them as a "paedophile," resulting in a libel lawsuit by Blake and the drag artist, also known as Colin Seymour.

While Fox denies being a racist, he is counter-suing the trio over their tweets and continued to testify for a second day at the London hearing. During cross-examination, he acknowledged that accusing someone of being a paedophile is a "very serious allegation" if it is not a "rhetorical device".

Lorna Skinner KC, representing Blake, Seymour and Thorp, asked that after the two men gave evidence earlier in the trial, Fox “still maintained that they were not caused distress by it”. Fox replied: “Distress? The both said they were distressed by it. I can only take their words for it.”

Addressing the pair, he added: “I’m sorry to both of you individually for that.” The actor said his use of the term was “rhetorical” and “there was no inference at any point that I thought they were a paedophile." He added: "I was diminishing the ridiculousness of calling me a racist."

In his written evidence, Seymour said he faced overwhelming and distressing abuse after Fox's tweet, feeling less safe as a drag performer. Blake, who is now chief executive of Mental Health First Aid England, told the court the incorrect suggestion that gay men were paedophiles was “a trope as old as the hills”. Fox however defended his use of language, stating it was aimed at countering what he perceived as baseless accusations.

Fox, who claimed to have faced a Twitter backlash and a subsequent attack on his career, rejected suggestions of expressing offensive views on race. He defended his stance on various issues, including opposing the act of taking a knee and criticising what he referred to as "pointless virtue signalling" in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The trial is expected to conclude later in the week, with a decision from Mrs Justice Collins Rice expected at a later date.