The Mayor of Lichfield has moved to distance himself from the comments of Lichfield’s MP on nurses and teachers
Michael Fabricant has found himself under fire since suggesting nurses and teachers had broken lockdown rules by drinking in staff rooms after work during the pandemic.
The Conservative MP has since confirmed that he did not intend to offend or demoralise education and healthcare workers.
But his views have been branded “unhelpful” by the leader of Lichfield District Council.
And at a meeting of Lichfield City Council last week, the Mayor of Lichfield Cllr Robert Yardley was asked by the Liberal Democrats about his views on the Conservative MP’s comments.
Cllr Paul McDermott asked:
“Would the Mayor acknowledge the hard work and personal sacrifices of the teachers and medical professionals in Lichfield during the Covid pandemic and would he therefore disassociate himself from the derogatory comments made by our Member of Parliament that they regularly failed to adhere to the Government lockdown rules?”
Cllr Yardley responded: “Yes”.
Cllr McDermott, the Liberal Democrat leader on the city council, said it was time for more Conservative figures to make their positions clear on the comments by their party’s local MP.
“Though I am glad that the Mayor has shown himself to be on the side of decency in public office, I find it sad that it took a direct question from another political party for him to state this opinion.
“We now await similar responses from the local Conservative Association.”
Cllr Paul McDermott, Lichfield City Council
Following his initial comments in a BBC interview, Mr Fabricant said he apologised if people were offended by what was said.
“I applaud the work of nurses, GPs, and others in the medical and teaching professions who worked long hours under difficult, and sometimes impossible, conditions during the height of the Covid pandemic to keep us all safe and to educate our children.
“We all owe a debt to them which will be difficult to repay.
“I explained that I was neither judging nor chastising the minority of nurses or teachers who chose to unwind with a few work colleagues after a long shift. Nor did I suggest that any were drunk – I know of none who were so.
“It was not my intention to cause offence – let alone demoralise anyone as some have claimed – in the BBC TV interview a few days back and I apologise if I have genuinely done so.”
Michael Fabricant MP
