An English actor and aspiring politician is under fire for claiming he is exempt from wearing a mask, and encouraging fellow Brits to take off their masks as the coronavirus continues to spiral in the UK.
Laurence Fox tweeted a photograph of himself showing off a COVID-19 mask exemption badge that he bought on Amazon as the UK recorded nearly 85,000 deaths from the pandemic last week, and officials set up a temporary morgue to deal with rising coronavirus deaths.
“After a long period of consultation with myself, an extended review period and proper due diligence conducted with myself, I’ve received the badge that I ordered from Amazon. Thank you for being there for me. #anxiety,” tweeted the actor on Friday, in complete defiance of government rules while the country is in strict lockdown to cope with a new COVID strain.
The tweet drew a great deal of criticism, with one user joking “the only thing you are exempt from is employment again.”
Fox, who has described himself as a “fierce liberal,” is the founder of the Reclaim Party to “take back British values from politicians who have lost touch with the people.” Last month he ordered Britons to “take off your masks” and encouraged people to meet in large groups and hug.