Tory MP Ben Bradley just topped Donald Trump for most retweeted tweet of 2018
Congratulations to Tory MP Ben Bradley who has overtaken Donald Trump in the race to have the most retweeted tweet of 2018.
Bradley apologised to Jeremy Corbyn on Twitter after he accused the Labour leader of ‘selling British secrets to communist spies’.
In an unusual twist on this sort of thing, it was a condition of the Tory vice-chairman’s apology that it included the phrase ‘please retweet’ and people took him at his word. In large numbers.
On the 19th of February I made a defamatory statement about @jeremycorbyn. I have apologised to Mr Corbyn and here is the complete text of my apology. Please retweet. pic.twitter.com/6JZc8O9E82
— Ben Bradley MP (@bbradleymp) February 24, 2018
It has passed various landmarks over the last few days but only today did it hit the big one – overtaking Donald Trump.
It's just happened. @bbradleymp's apology to @jeremycorbyn just surpassed @realDonaldTrump in most retweeted tweet of 2018. pic.twitter.com/MIaYXyGYtP
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) February 27, 2018
The so-called president will be furious. Look to your oats, Donny!
“You had Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party try to hide the fact that they gave money to GPS Fusion to create a Dossier which was used by their allies in the Obama Administration to convince a Court misleadingly, by all accounts, to spy on the Trump Team.” Tom Fitton, JW
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2018
We can only hope ‘please retweet’ becomes compulsory in the wording of this sort of thing. Starting with the Daily Mail.
Good to see more than 52,000 people have acknowledged Mr Bradley's request for them to retweet the apology – its also good to see a politician who is decent and honourable enough to apologise when he gets something wrong
— Iain Whiteley (@Iain_Whiteley) February 27, 2018
did you mean 'good to see a politician who's decent and honourable enough to avoid being bankrupted by libel proceedings'?
— joe. (@joethekiller) February 27, 2018
What does it prove?
— SerenaSure (@SerenaSure) February 27, 2018
That the Tories can create popular content that'll go viral.
— Blinovitch Limitation Effect (@YetAnotherJon) February 27, 2018
Oh, and that apology in full.
“On 19 February 2018 I made a seriously defamatory statement on my Twitter account, ‘Ben Bradley MP (@bbradleymp)’, about Jeremy Corbyn, alleging he sold British secrets to communist spies. I have since deleted the defamatory tweet. I have agreed to pay an undisclosed substantial sum of money to a charity of his choice, and I will also pay his legal costs.
“I fully accept that my statement was wholly untrue and false. I accept that I caused distress and upset to Jeremy Corbyn by my untrue and false allegations, suggesting he had betrayed his country by collaborating with foreign spies.
“I am very sorry for publishing this untrue and false statement and I have no hesitation in offering my unreserved and unconditional apology to Jeremy Corbyn for the distress I have caused him.”
Please retweet.
