The Tories have selected Nigel Gardner as the candidate for the new constituency of Harpenden & Berkhamsted. His dedication to the Tory party doesn’t exactly have a long history…
Gardner must have forgotten to mention his Labour past – he was the Labour candidate for Tory heartland Suffolk Coastal for Westminster in 2001, and Brussels in 2004 and 2009. He also fought for the Lichfield seat in 2005, in a losing effort against none other than… Michael Fabricant. Fabbers tells Guido that despite their past political differences, Gardner “was rather a cut above the other candidates Lichfield Labour Party usually select”, and “we both found it rather awkward that in the GE hustings we agreed on most things.” Fabbers won with 48.6% of the vote compared to Gardner’s 32.4%…
Now Gardner’s damascene conversion is complete, and he’ll wear a blue rosette at the next general election. Fabbers claims he later met up with his defeated opponent for drinks on the House of Commons Terrace, and they had a “very interesting chat“. Apparently Michael was the one who suggested he joined the Tories in the first place…
Conservative MPs have jumped on the publication of the kangaroo court’s supplementary report into a “co-ordinated campaign of interference” to slam the “petulance” of the Privileges Committee. The committee’s report accused MPs making (perfectly justified) criticisms of launching “an attack on the legitimacy of parliament itself”. It’s a bit of a leap…
The report, which named seven Tory MPs, including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg as well as three Lords, was criticised by Mark Jenkinson for “gross overreach”. He then pointed out a mistake in the report, which referenced a tweet about the media – not the committee…
Brendan Clarke-Smith also spoke up, saying the report “raises serious questions about free speech in a democratic society”, before Michael Fabricant blasted the “paranoid” and “petulant” kangaroo court on Times Radio:
He added marsupial mastermind Bernard Jenkin should “explain himself” over lockdown parties…
Michael Fabricant’s war on Westminster irritant Steve Bray has hit a semi-inevitable roadblock. While the Metropolitan Police have been working alongside the Parliament’s security department to gather evidence on Bray’s nuisance-making, following Fabricant’s written complaint, they’ve struggled to find witnesses who are willing to go to court and actually accuse Bray of harassment. Which would probably cause more hassle than just putting up with Bray’s whingeing…
Writing to Fabricant on behalf of the House of Commons Commission, Sir Charles Walker said:
“Some witnesses do not want to give statements or are unwilling to go to court; without such testimony it makes any legal action very unlikely. In addition, some behaviour does not constitute a criminal offence when viewed in isolation; without witness statements, building a persuasive case around persistent behaviour is very difficult.”
Still, he adds that the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation team are “considering all options” if and when they identify relevant statements and substantial evidence. Although he caveats that by saying “hearsay evidence is inadmissible in court”. Ultimately it was always a long shot that anything serious would come of all this – it was a stretch to call Bray’s behaviour “harassment“. Like Fabbers himself said, he’s really just a “pain in the arse”…
Read Walker’s written answer in full below:
Michael Fabricant’s campaign to ban Steve Bray from Westminster is stepping up a notch. Having already asked Hoyle for potential legal action against Bray over his antics – with parliamentary authorities allegedly gathering a body of evidence for a harassment case since April – Fabbers is now pushing the House of Commons Commission to step their game up while the investigation continues. Which could take months…
In the meantime, Fabricant is submitting a written question to ask what the Commission will do to stop “professional agitators” harassing MPs and staff:
“To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps are being taken by the Commission to ensure that Members and their staff are not harassed, obstructed, shouted at, or intimidated by professional agitators in the proximity of the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.”
Fabbers’ colleagues have already suggested a few novel ideas for dealing with Bray this week. Guido’s view is it’s best just to give Bray as good as he gets. He doesn’t like it very much. Fabricant tells Guido “Steve Bray is a menace trying to turn the clock back to when Britain was a cog in the EU wheel. He’s also a pain in the arse”…
Michael Fabricant was singled out by Sir Keir during his Partygate sermon in the Commons yesterday. Attacking Fabbers’ comments about teachers and nurses having a drink with colleagues at the end of the day, he then referenced one of the Litchfield MP’s constituents John Robinson:
“This morning I spoke to John Robinson, a constituent of the hon. Member for Lichfield, and I want to tell the House his story.
When his wife died of covid, John and his family obeyed the Prime Minister’s rules. He did not see her in hospital; he did not hold her hand as she died. Their daughters and grandchildren drove 100 miles up the motorway, clutching a letter from the funeral director in case they were questioned by the police. They did not have a service in church, and John’s son-in-law stayed away because he would have been the forbidden seventh mourner. Does the Prime Minister not realise that John would have given the world to hold his dying wife’s hand, even if it was just for nine minutes? But he did not, because he followed the Prime Minister’s rules—rules that we now know the Prime Minister blithely, repeatedly and deliberately ignored. After months of insulting excuses, today’s half-hearted apology will never be enough for JohnRobinson. If the Prime Minister had any respect for John, and the millions like him who sacrificed everything to follow the rules, he would resign. But he will not, because he does not respect John, and he does not respect the sacrifice of the British public. He is a man without shame.”
This morning on GB News Fabricant hit back at this, accusing Starmer of weaponising his constituent’s experience:
“The saddest thing of all, I think, is the way Keir Starmer and other politicians have chosen to weaponise the personal tradgedies endured by people like John Robinson and you know I would have though actually that was pretty beneath them.”
Guido doesn’t suppose John Robinson is that bothered about being weaponised- he already briefed his story to The Guardian five days prior…
Expertly reading the room, Michael Fabricant used an interview on 5 Live in the wake of Boris, Rishi and Carrie receiving pre-notices to defend staffers wheeling in suitcases of booze to Downing Street during lockdown:
“There is no bar in Downing Street… That’s the only way you can actually get any alcohol into Downing Street”.
He then went on to argue the suitcase claims makes the argument for a bar being installed in No. 10, like there is in the Houses of Parliament.
Guido presumes No. 10 will not be putting Fabbers up for the morning media round tomorrow…
