Laurence Fox ordered to pay £90,000 to Drag Race UK star Crystal and Stonewall CEO after losing ‘paedophiles’ libel appeal
High Court Judge Mrs. Justice Collins Rice described Fox’s comments as “seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless”
By Callum Wells
Laurence Fox has been ordered to pay a combined £90,000 to Drag Race UK star Crystal and Stonewall CEO Simon Blake for libelling them by calling them “paedophiles” on social media.
An original High Court award of £90,000 each was ultimately reduced by the Court of Appeal, which found the initial total sum of £180,000 to be “manifestly excessive”.
The case stems from an October 2020 Twitter (now X) exchange over Sainsbury’s decision to mark Black History Month. Fox called for a boycott of the supermarket, prompting accusations of racism from Crystal, Blake, and broadcaster Nicola Thorp.
High Court Judge Mrs. Justice Collins Rice described Fox’s comments as “seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless”
In retaliation, Fox tweeted the “paedophile” slur, leading to the libel claims. While the Court of Appeal upheld the finding that Fox libelled Crystal and Blake, it granted Fox a retrial on his counterclaim that he was defamed by being called a “racist”.
High Court Judge Mrs. Justice Collins Rice described Fox’s comments as “seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless”. Fox did not attempt to show the allegations were true and could not rely on any other recognised legal defence.
However, the Court of Appeal granted Fox a retrial on his counterclaim that he was defamed by being called a “racist”, noting that the previous judge’s approach was “in some respects wrong in law” and that the tweets accusing Fox of racism had caused serious harm to his reputation.
Fox, best known for his role in the Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis, has also led the Reclaim Party and claimed that accusations of racism cost him acting opportunities, including missed roles in Succession and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“I felt backed into a corner and just did what we had to do to see it through to the end” – Crystal told Attitude after the 2024 libel case
Crystal, whose real name is Colin Seymour, won the original libel case in January 2024. Speaking to Attitude at the time, they said: “I felt backed into a corner and just did what we had to do to see it through to the end.”
Reflecting on the Court of Appeal decision, Crystal added: “We live in a time when queer people, drag queens, and anyone gender-non-conforming is being labelled a groomer, unsafe for children, a paedo, a nonce – it happens all the time. Hopefully, this reminds people that saying those things is defamatory. And if someone’s going to do it from a publicly verified account, there are going to be consequences.”
During the first trial, Fox dismissed the Black Lives Matter movement as a “grift” and “Ponzi scheme,” claiming, “We’re all equal in the eyes of God, so all lives matter.” He also criticised the casting of Jodie Turner-Smith as Anne Boleyn, saying it was “done in my view to virtue signal to an audience,” adding, “…if Anne Boleyn can be Black, then Nelson Mandela can be white, surely.”