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# Council leader says comments by Lichfield MP on nurses and teachers breaking lockdown rules were “unhelpful”
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/council-leader-says-comments-by-lichfield-mp-on-nurses-and-teachers-breaking-lockdown-rules-were-unhelpful/
- Published: 2022-04-24T17:57:23.000Z
- Updated: 2022-04-24T18:21:09.000Z
- Description: The comments of an MP on teachers and nurses breaking Covid regulations have been branded “unhelpful” by the leader of Lichfield District Council has said.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:11, News

The comments of an MP on teachers and nurses breaking Covid regulations have been branded “unhelpful” by the leader of Lichfield District Council has said.

![Doug Pullen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/doug-pullen.jpg)

Doug Pullen

Michael Fabricant has drawn widespread criticism after [suggesting “many” health and education staff were drinking in staff rooms after work during lockdown](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-mp-criticised-over-insulting-comments-on-teachers-and-nurses-after-prime-minister-is-fined-over-lockdown-party/).

![Michael Fabricant MP](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/michael_fabricant.jpg)

Michael Fabricant MP

It came as the Conservative MP sought to defend Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister was issued with a fine for attending a birthday party at Downing Street.

Mr Fabricant later [sought to clarify his comments](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/teacher-and-nurses-told-me-they-had-post-work-drinks-during-lockdown-lichfield-mp-says/) after criticism from unions by saying that he had been told by “a teacher and two nurses” that they too had enjoyed a lockdown drink with colleagues.

A Labour councillor [criticised the “deafening silence” of Conservative representatives](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/conservative-councillors-in-lichfield-and-burntwood-criticised-over-deafening-silence-on-comments-by-mp/) across Lichfield and Burntwood after they failed to speak out against the claims made by the MP.

But Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, has now broken his silence on the issue.

In a now-deleted post on social media he said:

> “It’s obviously incorrect to say that teachers and nurses were drinking after work – clearly that was not the case and I’m glad that Michael Fabricant has offered an apology.  
>  
> “While there may have been a couple of isolated incidents, the statement made was unhelpful.”  
>  
> Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council

But former Conservative councillor Joanne Grange, who now sits as an independent member of Lichfield District Council, said claims the MP had apologised were wide of the mark.

> “I must have missed that apology – all I remember was suggestions of whistle-blowers.  
>  
> “I certainly can’t see the words ‘I’m sorry’ anywhere and I’m sure the politics programmes would report an apology rather than repeating what he said about nurses and teachers.”  
>  
> Cllr Joanne Grange, Lichfield District Council

As well as unions, individual teachers have also been vocal in their criticism of Mr Fabricant, with [one telling *Lichfield Live* he should resign over his “offensive comments”](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-teacher-says-mp-should-resign-over-offensive-lockdown-drinking-claims/).

Cllr Pullen said:

> “Along with other residents of Lichfield district, I will be forever grateful for the work of nurses, teachers, GPs and others in the medical and teaching professions who worked long hours under difficult conditions to keep us safe and to educate our children.”  
>  
> Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council