34 Facts About Michael Fabricant

Michael Louis David Fabricant was born on 12 June 1950 in Rottingdean, Brighton, into a Jewish family, to Helena and Rabbi Isaac Fabricant, rabbi of the Brighton and Hove Synagogue.

Michael Fabricant studied economics at Loughborough University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree.

Michael Fabricant went on to study at the University of Sussex, where he was awarded a master's degree in operations research in 1974, and undertook research at the University of Oxford, University of London, and the University of Southern California in economics and econometrics.

Michael Fabricant was director and co-founder of an international broadcast manufacturing and management group for 11 years prior to his election to Parliament.

Michael Fabricant was appointed the chairman of the Brighton Pavilion Conservative Association in 1990 and remained chairman until his election to the House of Commons.

Michael Fabricant made his maiden speech on 2 July 1992.

In Parliament, Michael Fabricant joined the European Legislation Select Committee in 1992, and served on it until the 1997 general election.

Michael Fabricant joined the National Heritage Select Committee in 1993 and was a member of that committee until his appointment as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Michael Jack in 1996.

Michael Fabricant rejoined the Culture, Media and Sport committee following the 2001 general election, and at this time became the chairman of the Information Committee.

Michael Fabricant moved up to the opposition frontbench as a trade and industry spokesman under Michael Howard in 2003.

Michael Fabricant became an opposition whip following the 2005 general election and remained in the position following the appointment of new leader David Cameron.

Also in 2008, Michael Fabricant took part in a series of adjournment debates on government funding for inland waterways, and called for heavy goods freight to move off Britain's roads and back onto the restored canal network.

Michael Fabricant was sacked as vice-chairman of the Conservative Party in April 2014 after he tweeted "about time" with regard to Maria Miller's resignation as cabinet minister.

Michael Fabricant opposes HS2 on the grounds of its financial and environmental cost.

Michael Fabricant wrote in The Guardian in November 2017 to rebut claims about him that had appeared on a Westminster dossier making assertions about the behaviour of Conservative MPs.

Michael Fabricant wrote that no one he had contacted, including lobby journalists and a former chief whip with an "elephantine memory", had previously heard the claim made against him of "inappropriate behaviour with a male journalist in a taxi".

Michael Fabricant attracted media attention for having an apartheid-era flag of South Africa on display on the mantelpiece of his parliamentary office.

Michael Fabricant responded that he had several flags on display from countries where his former company had clients in the 1980s.

On 12 April 2022, Michael Fabricant urged Boris Johnson to apologise after he was fined for a breach of Covid rules.

The remark was criticised by official bodies representing teachers and nurses, who said they did no such thing, and Michael Fabricant said he had not intended to cause offence.

In March 2024, Michael Fabricant was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for Lichfield at the 2024 general election, in which he lost his seat.

Michael Fabricant subsequently apologised, but Alibhai-Brown thought his apology was "useless".

Michael Fabricant subsequently clarified that he believed that Gaza was a humanitarian issue and that his comment about Warsi's "strong views on Muslim issues" was more general.

Michael Fabricant criticised the constituent for not being clearer in detailing who she was and stated that he thought the post came from a 'Russian troll'.

Michael Fabricant said he had been distracted in a meeting when he sent it and did not spot what the image actually showed.

In May 2021, Michael Fabricant was accused by Hope not Hate of racism, after he tweeted that pro-Palestinian protesters in London were "primitives" that are "trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East".

Michael Fabricant subsequently deleted the tweet, stating that "attacks on the British police as shown in the video are disgraceful".

In March 2022, Michael Fabricant commented on social media that a proposed bill outlawing cyberflashing should include an exemption for dating apps.

Michael Fabricant was political adviser to the 1995 BBC drama series The Final Cut and made a cameo appearance in the broadcast.

Michael Fabricant asked: "What I'm not sure about is whether my honourable friend is the celebrity or the first date".

In 2015 Michael Fabricant was diagnosed with skin cancer and prostate cancer, undergoing a prostatectomy as treatment for the latter.

Michael Fabricant spoke of his treatment for prostate cancer in the House of Commons the following year, highlighting the shortage of specialist prostate cancer nurses in the National Health Service.

Michael Fabricant has stated his hair is a personal matter, and has refused to confirm whether it is his natural hair or a wig while reiterating this stance, most recently in his 2025 appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.

Michael Fabricant was appointed a Knight Bachelor on 9 June 2023 as part of the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.