A libel case brought by TV commentator Narinder Kaur against actor-turned-hard-right activist Laurence Fox can continue, a court has ruled. Kaur is suing Fox over social media posts in which he allegedly called her a "braindead prostitute."
Fox, 48, faced civil legal action from Kaur, 53, over 17 posts and videos shared on social media. She has also filed claims for harassment, data protection breaches, and misuse of private information. At a preliminary hearing, lawyers for Kaur argued that some of the posts would be understood to mean she is a hypocrite and a "braindead, moronic prostitute" who had sold pornographic photos of herself.
Fox's defense attempted to argue that his comments were not defamatory, with his legal team stating that "English society no longer has a consensus of disapproving of sex workers any more than it has maintained a consensus disapproving of gay or trans people." They further contended that "selling photos on OnlyFans is not serious enough to substantially adversely affect someone's reputation."
However, in a preliminary judgment, Judge Mr Justice Linden found that 10 of the posts could be defamatory, allowing the libel case to proceed. The judge stated that "the allegation that the claimant was projecting a false image of herself to the public in her tweets, and had taken steps to conceal the truth about herself, is a clear attack on her integrity, her sincerity and the reliability of what she says."
Other posts were either found not to refer to Kaur or were not deemed potentially defamatory. Fox's bid to have the data protection and misuse of private information claims dismissed will be heard at a later date.
Public Dispute
The dispute between Kaur and Fox publicly escalated in April 2024, when Fox allegedly shared an intimate "upskirt photo" of Kaur to his approximately 500,000 followers on X. Kaur described the experience as feeling "like being assaulted every day." Fox has since been charged under section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in relation to the alleged posting of the photograph.
Fox, previously known for his role in the ITV drama "Lewis," has become increasingly vocal on political issues, often criticizing "woke" culture. He was dropped by his talent agency following a controversial appearance on the BBC's "Question Time" in 2019, where he claimed an audience member's remark about him being a "white privileged male" was racist. He has continued to secure appearances on platforms such as GB News and various podcasts.
In 2023, Fox was fired from GB News after making controversial comments about political journalist Ava Evans on "Dan Wootton Tonight." His co-host on the show, Calvin Robinson, was also dismissed, and host Dan Wootton was suspended and later left the channel.
Previous Legal Challenges
Fox has faced other legal challenges. He previously lost a libel case after labelling individuals Simon Blake and a drag performer named Crystal as "paedophiles" on social media. In 2020, he founded the Reclaim Party, which gained its first and only Member of Parliament, Andrew Bridgen, in 2023 after Bridgen's expulsion from the Conservative Party. Bridgen left the Reclaim Party months later.
Fox has made multiple attempts to stand for election, including for London mayor in 2021 and 2024, and in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election in 2023. He failed to secure enough votes to reclaim his deposit in each instance. His 2024 bid for London mayor was unsuccessful due to an error in his nomination forms.
