The decision by the Conservatives to re-select Michael Fabricant as their candidate for the next General Election has been branded “truly baffling” by the Liberal Democrats.
The long-serving MP will get the chance to retain a seat he has held since 1997 after being chosen by his party to stand once more.
But Cllr Paul Ray, who has twice stood against Mr Fabricant previously, said the decision made a mockery of Tory attempts to distance themselves from the national party.
“It is truly baffling how the local Conservatives have yet again demonstrated a lack of judgement.
“Mr Fabricant has demonstrated an ability to be on the wrong side of almost every issue – from defending a Prime Minister who broke his own rules and failed to tell the truth about them, to defending the right of privatised companies to dump raw sewage into our water.
“Of course, a high point came in the December 2019 hustings when he proclaimed, referring to Brexit, that ‘we’ll all be wealthier after it’. But now we all now know that Brexit isn’t working. Our economy has shrunk by 4% since Brexit as our trade in Europe is down by 16%.
“We urgently need to negotiate a proper deal with Europe to protect our economy and our jobs.
“The long and short of it is that local Conservatives, however much they may try to distance themselves from the Westminster circus, are still bound to it, as shown by their support of Mr Fabricant.”
Cllr Paul Ray
Cllr Hugh Ashton, who will stand for the Liberal Democrats in the forthcoming local elections, said appearances by the Lichfield MP had made the city “a laughing stock”.
“If the Lichfield ‘Local Conservatives’ really cared about the area and its reputation, they would select a candidate who would genuinely work for the whole constituency.
“For an example of how Mr Fabricant has operated recently, the planned Lichfield leisure centre to replace the Friary facility should have been a prime target of the Tory Levelling Up scheme. But instead, the bid for central government funding failed.
“An MP who cared for his constituency, as Mr Fabricant insists he does, would have fought tooth and nail and lobbied for the money. Instead, as we know, Mr Fabricant chastised his fellow Conservatives on the district council for failing to make a valid bid.
“It is surprising that the local Conservatives have re-selected him. But then again, we must remember that it was the local party members nationwide who were responsible for electing the two most disastrous Prime Ministers of the century – Johnson and Truss – who between them have destroyed the British economy and the integrity of the political system, while refusing to take responsibility for their mistakes.”
Cllr Hugh Ashton
The at a glance list of candidates for the Chadsmead ward at Lichfield District Council:
Joanne Grange
Independent
Elaine Hutchings
Conservatives
Paul Jones
Conservatives
Paul Ray
Liberal Democrats
Miles Trent
Liberal Democrats
The at a glance list of candidates standing in the Stowe ward at Lichfield District Council:
Hugh Ashton
Liberal Democrats
Russell Bragger
Labour
Ann Hughes
Labour
Angela Lax
Conservatives
Paul McDermott
Liberal Democrats
Jon O’Hagan
Conservatives
I’m disappointed with the performance of both Michael Fabricant and the councils. I vote Conservative generally but, I won’t this time – either at the local elections or for Mr Fabricant.
It pains me to say it but, Lichfield has been repeatedly let down by the Conservatives. The Friarsgate development is a an absolute cock-up on an unprecedented scale. It’s notable that, the once owner of Tempest Ford, Brian Carruthers, recent passed away – sadly. I know that the forced closure of his business took a tremendous toll on his health. How many years ago was that? And it’s STILL BOARDED UP.
We cannot and must not reward failure, either on a local or national level.
I agree, it is baffling that Fabricant should be re-selected given his record and the sheer amount of criticism he has attracted, but then that’s the tone deaf Tories for you.
@Peter. I know that the destruction of a long established viable business weighed heavily. To see all that you have worked for and built up destroyed was a disgrace. For what a derelict site. It is not like Lichfield has loads of spare derelict land in prominent locations to move to and regenerate. All because of the vanity of Wilcox. In 2019 the voters did not punish the Conservatives. 4 years down the line perhaps they can see the results and would like to reflect on this.
I didn’t realise Brian had passed away? Such a lovely man, who did so much for Lichfield. I bought several cars from
him at Tempest Ford. He was involved with the Cathedral quite a bit, and gave up a lot of time to many good causes (Lichfield Business Breakfast I seem to remember too).
I agree – the way he was treated by the LDC was disgusting. They effectively put him out of business….and what for? For the site to remain empty for 6 years, and is STILL EMPTY. It took a tremendous toll on his health. I saw him about 6 months ago, and he said it still upset him, driving passed the site – seeing it boarded up.
RIP Brian.
LDC – you should be ashamed of yourselves. Absolute morons.
The late Brian Carruthers felt strongly that the actions of the Council in closing the businesses on Friarsgate were incompetent, premature and unnecessary, costing many people their livelihoods. He felt this more strongly as time went on and the site remained derelict. He was right. R.I.P.
I’m struggling this think of a single thing this current Council has done well, and this isn’t party bashing. As far as I can tell, Friarsgate is still as it was……(what an utter waste. I wonder how much has been lost in business rates..?). Recycling (fiasco). Levelling up bid (fiasco). New cinema (remains to be seen – still not been granted planning permission). Green spaces and housing (fiasco – we now live in a concrete jungle). New Dr surgeries (none), Dentists (mone), new schools? We have one primary I think.
In short – the council are underperforming MASSIVELY, as is their National counterpart.
It’s time for a change, and as someone else has said, we should be rewarding failure.
I normally vote Conservative but every time you see Mr Fabricant on the news you want to hide behind the sofa because you know he’ll say something embarrassing, especially when he kept defending Boris Johnson. What must other people think of our lovely city and villages when they see he’s what we choose to represent us… The Liberal Democrats are right here!
If Vladimir Putin stood for the Conservatives, in Lichfield. He would be elected.
Its like voting for the Cown on the Circus poster. In South Derbyshire they used to say if they put a red rosette on a pig they would vote for it; this is the same with blue rosette
But this time it may just not work