A teacher and two nurses admitted they’d had post-work drinks with colleagues during lockdown, Lichfield’s MP has said.
Michael Fabricant has come under fire after comments he made in the wake of the confirmation that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been fined for attending a Westminster gathering in the midst of pandemic restrictions last year.
The Conservative MP claimed in a BBC interview that some education and healthcare staff had enjoyed “a quiet drink” in the staff room too.
He was criticised by the Royal College of Nursing who said his words were “utterly demoralising and factually incorrect.
Mr Fabricant says he was told by key workers that they did breach lockdown rules.
“Over the last year, a teacher and two nurses have told me that they had some sympathy with the Prime Minister as after an exhausting day at work they too had had a drink with their workmates.
“They felt it safe as they had not mixed with others and, frankly, I cannot blame them.
“Those nurses had been working hard for many hours trying to save lives and their quick drink with close work mates could not have spread the disease.
“I am sure most other nurses and teachers stuck to the letter of the law as did I.
“Of course, I fully understand the anger of people who obeyed the rules, couldn’t visit relatives, and missed weddings and funerals – I was in lockdown in Lichfield all the time so I know exactly how they feel.
“But Boris Johnson’s mother died during lockdown too and he himself ended up in intensive care so he will also understand their anger.”
Michael Fabricant MP
“He had drinks at the end of a tough day”
The Prime Minister has faced calls to resign in the wake of his Fixed Penalty Notice having previously denied attending gatherings during lockdown.
Mr Fabricant said his party’s leader had not realised he was breaking the rules set by his own Government.
“I genuinely believe that Boris Johnson thought at the time he was not breaking the law as he was operating in a work bubble defined by law.
“This was not a case of ‘do as I say, while I will do what I like’.
“On the occasion he had drinks at the end of a tough day, he believed it was within the work bubble so there was no risk of Covid transmission – these were the same people he had been working with closely all day.
“He takes the matter incredibly seriously, has apologised, and accepted responsibility for the things he didn’t get right and the way this matter has been handled. And so he should.
“Nevertheless, the police believe that this was against the rules and the Prime Minister will not be contesting the Fixed Penalty Notice.
“I have asked the Prime Minister to make a statement to the House of Commons next week when Parliament returns after Easter.
“We will see how matters develop over the coming weeks, but despite his misjudgement, the Prime Minister has my support as he got the big calls right, including delivering Brexit, the first Covid vaccine programme in the world and, of course, Ukraine.”
Michael Fabricant MP
