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Laurence Fox says he learned of GB News sacking in custody after being arrested

Fox was arrested in Stockwell and taken to a south London police station

Ted Hennessey
Wednesday 04 October 2023 17:15 EDT
Laurence Fox has been released from custody
Laurence Fox has been released from custody (PA)

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Former GB News presenter Laurence Fox said he found out about his sacking by the broadcaster while he was in custody after having been arrested.

The Metropolitan Police said the 45-year-old was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage to Ulez (Ultra low emission zone) cameras and encouraging or assisting offences to be committed.

Fox was arrested in Stockwell and taken to a south London police station on Wednesday, but has since been released and bailed pending further inquiries.

He told Sky News: “I found out about the GB News sacking, in there (the police station). They went; ‘By the way, you’ve been sacked and there’s loads of paparazzi out there’. And I was like ‘phew’.”

Asked about his arrest, Fox added: “They’ve let me go. It’s Sadiq Khan’s ‘make a big thing out of Loz’.

“If Sadiq Khan thinks he can scare me, I’ve been intimidated by his coppers before.”

A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Reclaim Party – which was launched by Fox, shows the former actor sat on a sofa and pointing at officers, saying: “Look how many coppers there are in my house.”

Fox is then heard saying “That, ladies and gentlemen, is the country we live in,” before putting his thumb up to the camera.

Confirming a suspect had been arrested, a spokeswoman for the Met said: “On Wednesday October 4, officers arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage to Ulez cameras and encouraging or assisting offences to be committed.

“He was arrested in Stockwell and has been taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody.”

The actor-turned-politician was suspended by GB News amid an internal investigation and a probe by Ofcom which had received more than 8,000 complaints over on-air comments about female journalist Ava Evans.

He faced a disciplinary hearing with the channel after making a series of personal remarks about political correspondent Ms Evans on the Dan Wootton Tonight show, including asking, “who would want to shag that?”

The channel confirmed it had “ended its employment relationship” with Fox on Wednesday, following the comments.

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