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Van Morrison, Robin Swann Settle Defamation Battle Over Covid Lockdown Spat

Van Morrison and Robin Swann, former Health Minister for Northern Ireland, have settled a defamation dispute stemming from a clash over Covid safety.

As the BBC reports, the settlement was announced at the High Court in Belfast on Friday, Sept. 6, just a few weeks before Morrison and Swan’s competing defamation suits were set to go to trial. “Sir Van, while not agreeing with a number of the steps adopted by government during the Covid crisis, acknowledges that in performing his then role as minister for health in Northern Ireland, Mr. Swann acted at all times honestly and in good faith and on the advice of responsible officials,” the statement read. In launching a campaign to “save live music,” Morrison railed against what he called the “pseudoscience” surrounding the coronavirus; and he released a trio of songs — “No More Lockdown,” “Born to Be Free” and “As I Walked Out” — that he said were “about freedom of choice.”

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