Michael Fabricant accused of smiling during Keir Starmer's heartbreaking Commons address

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has been accused of smirking as Keir Starmer spoke about the heartbreaking experience of one of his own constituents.

Yesterday, MPs returned to the House of Commons to receive an update from the Prime Minister after the recess that took place over Easter.

Among one of the many talking points was the fact that Boris Johnson received a fixed penalty notice from the police for breaching his own lockdown laws.

On this issue, Starmer shared an emotional story shared with him by one of Fabricant’s constituents in Lichfield.

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Starmer explained: “When his wife died of Covid, John and his family obeyed the Prime Minister’s rules. He didn’t see her in hospital, he didn’t 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.”

But, as Starmer spoke about Mr Robinson’s experience, some viewers suggest that Fabricant was actually smiling.

Some on Twitter posted clips and screengrabs that appear to show Fabricant’s facial expression changing and have suggested that the MP was smiling.

One person wrote: “Fabricant appears to be smirking at his mates even as Starmer tells the heartbreaking story of John Robinson. Nice.”

Another said: “What honestly is there to smile about?”

Someone else wrote: “Fabricant laughing when Starmer was telling the story about John Robinson... Thats all you need to know about them.”

Another person agreed, writing: “Fabricant smiling as Starmer spoke about John Robinson mourning his wife was an absolute f*****g disgrace.”

A fellow constituent of Fabricant also highlighted their horror at Fabricant’s apparent reaction.

They wrote: “@Mike_Fabricant this is your expression as you listened to the tragic story

@Keir_Starmer told about my fellow constituent John Robinson having tragically lost his wife during the pandemic and adhering fully to the rules.

“#Lichfield will wake up and you’ll be gone soon enough.”

Fabricant told indy100: "I was initially bemused that Keir Starmer mentioned me twice in what was meant to be a speech about the Prime Minister.

"Once Keir Starmer started to explain exactly what had befallen my constituent, I was listening intently and then raised the matter myself in the House of Commons."

The MP for Lichfield has been a staunch supporter of Johnson amid the “partygate” scandal and even made the shocking suggestion that nurses and teachers were also drinking at work during the pandemic.

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