Laurence Paul Fox (born 26 May 1978) is an English actor, political activist, and founder and leader of the right-wing populist Reclaim Party. He made his acting debut in the film The Hole (2001) and his best-known role is James Hathaway in the television drama series Lewis (2006–2015).
In recent years Fox has been known more for his politics than his acting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox criticised the British government's response. He also criticised the George Floyd protests that began in 2020. After founding the Reclaim Party, he stood unsuccessfully in the 2021 London mayoral election, in opposition to what he deemed "extreme political correctness", and in the 2024 London Assembly election.
Early life and education Laurence Paul Fox was born in Leeds on 26 May 1978,. the son of Mary Elizabeth Piper and actor James Fox. His paternal grandfather was talent agent Robin Fox and his paternal grandmother was Angela Worthington, whose father was playwright Frederick Lonsdale.
He has two elder brothers, Tom and Robin, a younger sister named Lydia, and a younger brother named Jack. Robin is a film producer, while Lydia and Jack are actors; Lydia is married to comedian and filmmaker Richard Ayoade..
His paternal uncles are the actor Edward Fox and producer Robert Fox. He is a first cousin of the actors Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox, the children of his uncle Edward.
Fox was raised as an evangelical Christian. From the age of 13 years, he was educated at Harrow School,. from which he was expelled a few weeks before his A-Level exams. He was unable to obtain a place at any university due to an unfavourable report about him from Harrow School..
After working as a gardener, and in an office, he followed his family into acting, and successfully auditioned for the exclusive Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), at which he appeared in numerous productions, including the lead roles of Gregers Werle in Ibsen's The Wild Duck, Marcus Andronicus in Titus Andronicus, and Stephen Daedalus in an adaptation of James Joyce's novel Ulysses.. He graduated from RADA in 2001..
Acting Fox made his acting debut in the horror-thriller film The Hole (2001). He next appeared in Robert Altman's film Gosford Park (2001). He then donned uniforms in a slew of film and television features, including roles as a German airman in Island at War (2004), an SS officer in The Last Drop (2005), and as British soldiers in the 2002 films Deathwatch and Ultimate Force, and in Colditz (2005). Actor Kevin Whately caught Fox's performance in the last ten minutes of the film. The next day, at a meeting regarding a new project, Whately mentioned that Fox "would be worth taking a look at"..
As a result, Fox was cast in the ITV detective drama Lewis as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, who becomes the partner of Detective Inspector Robert Lewis, played by Whately. The pilot of this spin-off from Inspector Morse (1987–2000) was ITV's highest-rated drama of 2006..
Fox has portrayed Prince Charles, in Whatever Love Means (2005);; . Wisley, one of Jane Austen's suitors, in Becoming Jane (2007); and Sir Christopher Hatton, the Lord Chancellor of England, in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, also released in 2007. In the same year Fox was seen on ITV as Cecil Vyse in Andrew Davies's adaptation of A Room with a View based on E. M. Forster's 1908 novel.
On stage, Fox appeared in Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw at the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre) in London in 2002,. and John Ford's 17th-century play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore in 2005. Between 2006 and 2007 he starred in Treats by Christopher Hampton with his future wife, Billie Piper.; ; ; ; ; ; . In April 2007, Fox received a police caution after he was arrested for assault when he punched a photographer outside the Garrick Theatre in London where he was performing in Treats. The caution remained on his record for three years. In 2013, Fox played Guy Haines in Strangers on a Train at London's Gielgud Theatre. On 9 May 2015, he read a letter written by a soldier three days before his death in the Second World War, as part of VE Day 70: A Party to Remember, an anniversary concert for VE Day.
In 2018, Fox joined the cast of the ITV series Victoria, for its third season, playing Lord Palmerston.
In November 2020, Fox was dropped by his talent agency, Artists Rights Group, after stating on Question Time that an audience member's description of him as a "white privileged male" was "racist". He had been dropped by his previous managers, Authentic Talent, earlier in the year.
In 2021, Fox portrayed Hunter Biden in filmmaker Robert Davi's biopic My Son Hunter, starring alongside fellow conservatives Gina Carano and John James, the former of whom was also dropped by her agent after allegedly expressing some of the same opinions as Fox. The film was distributed by the American right-wing media company Breitbart.
Other media Music Fox has released two albums, Holding Patterns in 2016 and A Grief Observed in 2019. The former charted, at no. 89, but the latter did not.
In 2019 Fox released the song "The Distance (You Can't Say Anything These Days)" featuring Izo FitzRoy.
Broadcasting From November 2022, Fox presented a regular Friday night slot on GB News.
In September 2023, during an appearance on Dan Wootton's GB News show, Fox said of journalist Ava Evans: "Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever [...] That little woman has been fed, spoon-fed oppression day after day after day." He concluded by saying: "Who'd want to shag that?" Fox and Wootton, along with Calvin Robinson, were suspended by the channel. Fox released on Twitter an apparent private message exchange with Wootton in which he had reacted approvingly to what Fox had said. In early October 2023, GB News confirmed that, following its investigation, it had terminated the contracts of Fox and Robinson. Ofcom, the government's broadcasting regulatory body, opened an investigation into the incident. Ofcom announced that the incident was the most complained-about broadcast on British television in 2023, with the regulator receiving 8,867 complaints. On 4 March 2024 Ofcom ruled that Fox's "misogynistic" comments broke broadcasting rules and "were degrading and demeaning both to [her] and women generally".
Views Diversity in acting In 2016, Fox criticised Julie Walters and Christopher Eccleston for speaking about a lack of working-class voices in acting. He said: "I think people should keep pretty quiet about stuff like that especially given the money they earn. It's not completely true either. And didn't Julie Walters get paid 400 grand using taxpayers' money to do something recently? She's a really sweet woman but, please, shut up."
In 2020, Fox told James Delingpole in a podcast: "The most annoying thing is the minute a black actor — it's the same with working-class actors — the minute they've got five million quid in the bank, every interview they do is about how racism is rampant and rife in the industry."
Political correctness In a November 2019 interview with The Times to promote his second album, Fox said YouTube videos had "totally radicalised" him against "woke culture" and "political correctness".
COVID-19 During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox criticised the British government's response to the pandemic and encouraged people to disregard the government's social distancing guidance and disobey other public health restrictions. On X, he wrote that "if the NHS can't cope, then the NHS isn't fit for purpose". Good Morning Britain hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid criticised this, telling him to "shut up." During a national lockdown in March 2021, Fox participated in an anti-lockdown protest.
Race and racism Appearing as a panellist, alongside his then-girlfriend the high tory journalist Madeline Grant, on the BBC's political debate programme Question Time in January 2020, Fox said that Meghan Markle was not a victim of racism and described an audience member who called him a "white privileged male" as racist. The British actors' union Equity called him "a disgrace to our industry" for his views, but withdrew its criticism and apologised two months later.
In January 2020, Fox attracted media attention for stating that the depiction of a Sikh soldier in the film 1917 was "forced diversity" in spite of Sikh soldiers having fought on the Western Front in the First World War. When interviewed, he explained, "I suppose it would have been less incongruous to me if he'd got on the truck to a whole regiment of Sikh soldiers. [...] I mean, as you've noticed, I say quite a lot of unfortunate things, but I think it's really important that one is able to express one's opinion." He followed by apologising on Twitter to "fellow humans who are Sikhs" and wrote, "I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour. Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I expressed myself."
In August 2021, Fox posted a tweet stating "get kneeling, fuckers" about the recent arrest of black footballer Benjamin Mendy on charges of rape and sexual assault. The tweet was removed by Twitter and the account was temporarily locked for violating its rules against "hateful conduct".
In August 2023, Fox posted a photo of himself in blackface, describing himself as having "racially transitioned".
Progress pride flag In June 2022, Fox tweeted an image of a swastika made from the progress pride flag with the caption, "You can openly call the [Union Flag] a symbol of fascism and totalitarianism on Twatter. You cannot criticise the holy flags." This led to his being suspended from Twitter for a day. His actions were publicly condemned by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Political activity Reclaim Party
After becoming "a prominent right-wing commentator" around the time of the pandemic, in 2020, Fox attracted funding for a new political party, provisionally called Reclaim, and dubbed "UKIP for culture". In October 2020, Fox became leader of the party, succeeding Jeremy Hosking.
It emerged in October 2020 that the party name had yet to be successfully registered with the Electoral Commission and that there was a naming conflict with the "Reclaim Project" of Manchester, an established charity in Manchester endeavouring to give opportunities to working-class children. The name Reclaim Party was approved in February 2021 as an identity mark for Brexit Express.
In May 2023, the Reclaim Party gained its first MP, Andrew Bridgen, after he was expelled from the governing Conservative Party. Bridgen resigned from the party in December 2023 due to a "difference in the direction of the party".
In July 2023, Fox stood in the 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election as a Reclaim Party candidate. He finished fourth with 2.3% of the vote, losing his deposit.
2021 candidacy for London mayor In March 2021, Fox announced he would stand in the London mayoral election, to "fight against extreme political correctness" and pledging to "end the Met's obsession with diversity and inclusivity."
The major source of Fox's campaign funds was Brexit backer Jeremy Hosking, who, in the first quarter of 2021, gave the Reclaim Party more than £1,000,000 in cash and services. Fox finished in sixth place with 47,634 votes (1.9%) in the mayoral election losing his £10,000 election deposit.
2024 London elections Fox attempted to stand in 2024 London mayoral election but failed to fill in the nomination forms correctly. The election authorities returned Fox's deposit and other fees.
He was a candidate on the London-wide list in the 2024 London Assembly election, though he stood under 'no description', rather than for Reclaim. He received 13,795 out of a total 2,476,687 votes (0.56%) and was not elected, losing his £5,000 deposit.
2026 Clacton by-election