Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has caused more controversy with his latest attempts to defend Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Both Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak have been fined in relation to rule-breaching gatherings at Downing Street during lockdown.
Fabricant attempted to defend Johnson and Sunak by suggesting that nurses and teachers had themselves commonly broken lockdown rules by holding private, after-work gatherings. The remarks have prompted an indignant response.
Despite calls for Johnson and Sunak to resign having been found to have broken the law, Tory MPs appear to be rallying around them. But who exactly is Michael Fabricant - and what has he said about Boris Johnson?
Read more: Tory MP under fire after claiming teachers and nurses broke lockdown rules
Who is Michael Fabricant?
Michael Fabricant is a Conservative politician who has served as MP for Lichfield (previously Mid-Staffordshire) since 1992. He is known for his flamboyant persona, frequent media appearances and for being embroiled in various controversies over the years.
In particular, Fabricant’s use of social media - particularly Twitter - has seen him involved in numerous rows with journalists, constituents and even Conservative colleagues. He supported a Leave vote in the 2016 European Union referendum.
What has Michael Fabricant said about Boris Johnson?
Michael Fabricant has been at the centre of much attention - often negative - for his attempts to defend Boris Johnson in the media. Daily Record columnist Annie Brown has described Fabricant as Johnson’s “chief lickspittle”.
Fabricant has repeatedly defended Boris Johnson from criticism over the so-called ‘Partygate’ scandal, which has prompted demands for the Prime Minister’s resignation. Fabricant has insisted that voters simply want the Prime Minister to “get on” with his job.
In January the MP told GB news that staff working at Downing Street has been exhausted 'working 18, 19 hour days' on the vaccine programme after news of the police investigation into the garden party drinks. He said: "If Boris has a weakness it is loyalty to those working for him and loyalty to his friends" before adding that "from an epidemiologically point of view" there was less risk of transmission in the garden than in the 'stuffy' offices Downing Street.
Appearing on BBC news in February he said: "When is a party a party? is it just quiet drinks after work or at the end of a normal working day." He then said that Boris Johnson would not have suspected they were in anyway breaking the law because they were ' working together in a bubble and there was no risk of spreading the disease '.
Again in February, Fabricant told GB News that Johnson remained 'popular ' among the electorate and argued that most ordinary voters were less concerned with Partygate than journalists and commentators.
The previous month, Fabricant waded into the row over alleged threats by Tory whips to blackmail the party’s MPs if they supported a no-confidence motion against Boris Johnson, tweeting: “If I reported every time I had been threatened [by] them, the police wouldn’t have any time to conduct any other police work!”
After Johnson and Rishi Sunak were issued with fines by the Metropolitan Police in relation to Partygate, Fabricant implied that the rule-breaking gatherings at Downing Street were no different to what had been going on at other workplaces during lockdown .
“I think at the time just like many teachers and nurses who after a very, very long shift would tend to go back to the staff room and have a quiet drink which is more or less what he has done,” he told BBC News.
The comment received an angry reaction from teachers and nurses, who pointed out the sacrifices they had made to protect family members during the pandemic. The Royal College of Nursing has indicated that it will make a formal complaint.
Fabricant caused further controversy by telling BBC Radio 5 Live that “ they should just have a bar in Downing Street , just as there is in the Palace of Westminster”, as the alcohol deliveries made to Downing Street during lockdown were “not very dignified”.
Does Michael Fabricant wear a wig?
Michael Fabricant is also known for his distinctive hairstyle, which fellow MPs have suggested is actually a wig. However, while Fabricant admits to having had “enhancement of the follicular area”, he denies wearing a wig.
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