Laurence Fox has revealed he was phoned by a group of actors who threatened his career on loudspeaker as they told him to ‘change his tune’ over Black Lives Matter.
The 42-year-old actor, best known for playing Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in Lewis, has previously said that he would not take the knee to show solidarity with BLM protesters as it has ‘master-servant’ connotations.
Fox, who caused a furore when he appeared on Question Time last January, said he would only kneel ‘to propose, before god or before the queen’ but stressed that others should be ‘free to do what they want’.
In an interview with the Telegraph yesterday, Fox said he received a ‘very threatening’ phone call from a former colleague for his refusal to change his position towards the BLM movement.
In an interview yesterday, Fox said he received a ‘very threatening’ phone call from a former colleague for his refusal to change his position towards the BLM movement
‘I had a very threatening phone call from one [actor] who I’d worked with for six months,’ he told the Telegraph.
‘When he phoned me, I heard him put it on loudspeaker and go “Shh!” so I knew there was a table of people there.
‘I was warned several times that, unless I changed my tune, it would have an effect on my career.
‘And then I was warned formally that it was certain to have a devastating effect on my career.’
He said that the phone call did nothing but to ’empower’ him.
In June this year the actor confronted the reality that he may never find acting work again without ‘expressing the “correct” opinion’.
He said it was a ’cause of sadness’ at the possible loss of his career and the ‘bleak view of my prospects’ came after his appearance on Question Time in January.
Laurence Fox attends the Walpole British Luxury Awards 2019 at The Dorchester on November 18, 2019 in London, England
During the show, he accused Rachel Boyle, an academic at Edge Hill University, of racism after she called him ‘a white privileged male’.
He criticised the ethnicity lecturer’s charges of racism amid claims that Meghan Markle was being hounded out of Britain on account of her skin colour.
However, speaking to the Telegraph yesterday, Fox said the reaction after his appearance galvanised him to fight back against the ‘very, very angry minority of people who feel that they have absolutely every right to not be offended and therefore can control the language we use’.
He went on to reiterate his unwillingness to ‘bend the knee’ to show support for the BLM movement, saying that he would never vote Labour while party leader Keir Starmer is at the helm because he did so.
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He said that taking the knee is not a gesture of solidarity, but one of subservience.
Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner kneel for George Floyd. Laurence Fox, a former Labour supporter, said he would never vote for the party because Mr Starmer took the knee
Six days ago, Fox announced he is launching a new political party to fight the ‘culture wars’ named Reclaim, and he has already raised more than £5million.
The actor has received substantial sums from former Tory donors and hopes to stand dozens of candidates across the UK.
The star says he wants to provide a movement for people who are ‘tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against’.
It comes as Nigel Farage has also threatened to launch an anti-lockdown party after criticising Boris Johnson‘s draconian measures to curb the rise in coronavirus cases.
Among Fox’s aims in his new party are reforming the BBC and celebrating Britain’s contribution to the world, according to The Telegraph.
The party is provisionally called Reclaim and has a website named LaurenceFoxParty.
He hopes to launch the party next month and the name is subject to the Electoral Commission’s approval.
His website states: ‘Over many years it has become clear that our politicians have lost touch with the people they represent and govern. Moreover, our public institutions now work to an agenda beyond their main purpose.
‘Our modern United Kingdom was born out of the respectful inclusion of so many individual voices. It is steeped in the innate values of families and communities, diverse in the truest sense but united in the want and need to call this island home.
‘The people of the United Kingdom are tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against.
‘We are all privileged to be the custodians of our shared heritage. We can reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home.’
He added: ‘I have been so encouraged by the support I have received by those wishing to add their voices to this reclamation of our values.
‘Our country is now in desperate need of a new political movement which promises to make our future a shared endeavour, not a divisive one. This is now my endeavour.’
Fox, who has been a fierce critic of the BBC, sparked controversy when he said suggestions of ‘racism’ over how the Duchess of Sussex was treated in some quarters was ‘boring’.
He also hit out at black and working class actors for complaining about the industry once they have ‘five million quid in the bank’.
A Westminster source said the new party is a version of UKIP for the culture wars and believes it could attract hundreds of thousands of unhappy Conservative voters.
Sources close to Fox said the party does not see itself as strictly left or right wing but will be a broad church.
Reclaim so far has three objectives, which include protecting free speech, reforming publicly funded institutions, and preserving and celebrating Britain’s cultural history.
Planning has been underway for the last two months and backers include former Tory donor Jeremy Hosking.
Staff are already being recruited for the party after Fox was launched into the political arena after his performance on Question Time in January.
