Michael Fabricant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Fabricant
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Bob Blizzard |
| Succeeded by | Desmond Swayne |
| Member of Parliament for Lichfield Mid Staffordshire (1992–1997) |
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| In office 9 April 1992 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Sylvia Heal |
| Succeeded by | Dave Robertson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Louis David Fabricant
12 June 1950 Brighton, Sussex, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residences | London, England Lichfield, Staffordshire, England |
| Education | Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Loughborough University University of Sussex |
Sir Michael Louis David Fabricant (born 12 June 1950) is a British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Lichfield in Staffordshire. Before that, he represented Mid Staffordshire. He was an MP from 1992 until 2024.
Fabricant was also a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party. In this role, he helped plan election campaigns. He was in charge of the party's strategy for important elections. In 2014, he was removed from this role. This happened after he made comments about a colleague's resignation.
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Early Life and Education
Michael Fabricant was born in Rottingdean, Brighton, on 12 June 1950. His family was Jewish. His father, Isaac Fabricant, was a rabbi.
He went to Brighton Secondary Technical School. He also attended Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School. He studied economics at Loughborough University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree there. Later, he studied at the University of Sussex. He received a master's degree in 1974. He also did research at other universities. These included University of Oxford and University of London.
Before becoming an MP, he worked in business. He was a director and co-founder of a company. This company made and managed broadcast equipment. He worked there for 11 years.
In 1987, Fabricant ran for MP in South Shields. He came in second place. In 1990, he became chairman of the Brighton Pavilion Conservative Association. He held this position until he was elected to Parliament.
Parliamentary Career
Michael Fabricant was first elected to Parliament in 1992. He became the MP for Mid Staffordshire. He won with 49.7% of the votes. His first speech in Parliament was on 2 July 1992.
As an MP, he joined several important committees. These included the European Legislation Select Committee. He also served on the National Heritage Select Committee. In 1996, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary. This role helps a minister with their duties.
Before the 1997 election, his constituency changed. Mid Staffordshire was replaced by Lichfield. Fabricant was elected as the MP for Lichfield. He won with a small majority of 238 votes.
After the 1997 election, he joined the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. Later, he moved to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1999.
In the 2001 general election, he was re-elected for Lichfield. His vote share and majority increased. He rejoined the Culture, Media and Sport committee. He also became chairman of the Information Committee. In 2003, he became a spokesman for trade and industry. Later, he became a spokesman for economic affairs.
He was re-elected again in the 2005 general election. He then became an opposition whip. Whips help manage their party's members in Parliament. In 2008, Fabricant started a group called Conservative Friends of America.
Also in 2008, he spoke about funding for inland waterways. He suggested moving heavy goods from roads to canals.
In the 2010 general election, he was re-elected with a large majority. In 2012, Fabricant wrote a paper called "The Pact." It suggested a political agreement between two parties. This agreement would lead to a public vote on the UK's membership in the European Union.
In April 2014, he was removed as vice-chairman of the Conservative Party. This was because of comments he made about a colleague's resignation. He also opposed the HS2 rail project. He believed it was too expensive and harmful to the environment.
He was re-elected in the 2015 general election. He supported the UK leaving the European Union in 2016. He believed in free trade. He said that trading globally would make the country wealthier.
Fabricant was re-elected in the 2017 general election. His vote share and majority increased again. He wrote in The Guardian in 2017 to correct false claims about him. He stated that a claim of "inappropriate behaviour" was untrue.
In Parliament, he served on several committees. These included the Administration Committee and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
He received media attention for having a flag from apartheid-era South Africa in his office. He explained that he had flags from countries where his old company had clients. He said he did not support what was happening in South Africa at that time.
He was re-elected in the 2019 general election. His vote share and majority reached their highest. In 2022, he urged Boris Johnson to apologize after a fine. Fabricant said he did not think Johnson meant to break the law. This comment was criticized by groups representing teachers and nurses. Fabricant later said he did not mean to cause offense.
He supported Penny Mordaunt in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership election. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 2023. This means he can use the title "Sir."
In March 2024, he was chosen to run for Lichfield again. However, he lost his seat in the 2024 general election.
Media Work
The Final Cut, BBC
Fabricant was a political adviser for the 1995 BBC drama The Final Cut. He also had a small role in the show.
Celebrity First Dates, Channel 4
In 2017, the prime minister, Theresa May, mentioned that Fabricant would appear on the TV show Celebrity First Dates.
Personal Life
Michael Fabricant lives in London and Lichfield. He also co-owns a holiday home in Snowdonia. He has a partner, Andy Street.
In 2015, Fabricant was diagnosed with skin cancer and prostate cancer. He had surgery for prostate cancer. He spoke about his treatment in Parliament. He highlighted the need for more prostate cancer nurses. Jeremy Corbyn, then Labour Party leader, made comments about Fabricant's illness. Corbyn later apologized for his remarks.
Fabricant's blond hair has been a topic of public discussion. He has stated that his hair is a personal matter.
Honours
Fabricant was appointed a Knight Bachelor on 9 June 2023. This was part of the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.
