Court of Appeal Grants Retrial for Laurence Fox Libel Claim Over Racist Tweets

Laurence Fox has won the right to a retrial of his libel claim after being called a racist on social media during a 2020 dispute about Sainsbury's Black History Month support. The Court of Appeal ruled that posts describing Fox as a racist caused serious harm to his reputation, warranting reconsideration of his claim. Fox had originally been ordered to pay £90,000 each to Simon Blake, now Stonewall's chief executive, and drag artist Crystal (Colin Seymour), who called him racist; Fox had responded by calling them "paedophiles," leading to successful libel claims against him. The appeals court reduced the damages payable to £45,000 each, describing the previous sums as "manifestly excessive," but upheld the finding that Fox had libelled Blake and Seymour. Fox criticized the impact of the accusations on free speech and careers, emphasizing the need to reconsider the damage caused by such slurs. The case highlights the complex intersection of social media disputes, freedom of expression, and reputational harm in libel law.