The Conversation (0)
Elaine McCallig
Jan 21, 2022
Michael Fabricant
Getty Images
Tory MP Michael Fabricant attempted to dismiss the claims that MPs have allegedly been “blackmailed” - but it backfired spectacularly.
Fabricant, a former whip himself, branded MP William Wragg’s blackmail accusations as “nonsense”.
He tweeted: “If I reported every time I had been threatened by a Whip or if a Whip reported every time I had threatened them, the police wouldn’t have any time to conduct any other police work! What nonsense from WW.”
But people were quick to point out that his defence perhaps reveals something about the culture within the Conservative party...
This is right up there with \u2018we can\u2019t make misogyny a hate crime because the sheer volume of cases would overwhelm the police\u2019 as a take. Just because something may be commonplace does not make is acceptable or right.https://twitter.com/mike_fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Natasha Devon \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc99 (@Natasha Devon \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc99) 1642698699
Are you really saying Blackmail is endemic in the party? Because it sure sounds like it.https://twitter.com/mike_fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Jolyon Rubinstein (@Jolyon Rubinstein) 1642685173
As lines of defence go\u2026 this one is quite out there!!!https://twitter.com/mike_fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Deborah Meaden \ud83d\udc99 (@Deborah Meaden \ud83d\udc99) 1642713019
This isn\u2019t the tweet Michael thinks it is!https://twitter.com/mike_fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Alex Sobel MP \ud83d\udfe3 (@Alex Sobel MP \ud83d\udfe3) 1642721425
I mean, who hasn\u2019t threatened a colleague at work?https://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Marina Purkiss (@Marina Purkiss) 1642711573
this is less helpful than you might thinkhttps://twitter.com/mike_fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Jim Pickard (@Jim Pickard) 1642680490
"I threaten colleagues" is a truly exceptional defencehttps://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Ava-Santina (@Ava-Santina) 1642679592
'Me and my mates commit so many crimes that if the police bothered to investigate they'd get nothing else done.'\n\nFabricant is the Ralph Wiggum 'I'm helping' gif incarnate.https://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Ross Greer (@Ross Greer) 1642681805
"Crime happens all the time, if I reported all the crimes I'm a victim of, the police wouldn't have time for anything else" is a ridiculous assertion. You're apologising for criminality: what's wrong with you? @Mike_Fabricanthttps://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Charlie Stross (@Charlie Stross) 1642692300
There is such an endemic culture of criminal activity by the whips at Westminster that addressing it would take up the entire capacity of the Met, alleges a senior MP, in his defence of the whips (!)https://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Sunder Katwala (@Sunder Katwala) 1642683675
Fabricant is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Thick as peanut butter. I think he's trying to be helpful to the government here.https://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/1484112611616735233\u00a0\u2026— Stephen Mangan (@Stephen Mangan) 1642683888
Is anyone else beginning to think that Michael Fabricant is really just a gloriously choreographed and magnificently executed piece of satirical performance art?— Evolve Politics (@Evolve Politics) 1642679472
Speaking to talkRADIO’s Mike Graham yesterday, Fabricant said he doesn’t believe the blackmail claims.
He said: “The whips, whether it’s Labour whips or Conservative whips, were set up to have some discipline and we’re all used to it. It’s not bully boy tactics, it’s just the way to keep a party together to some extent.”
Conservative MP William Wragg has accused the government of \u2018blackmail\u2019 by threatening to withdraw investment from constituencies.\n\nConservative MP Michael Fabricant: "I don't believe any of it!"\n\n@iromg | @Mike_Fabricantpic.twitter.com/z2d0JjEbKD— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) 1642680507
The blackmail scandal revolves around the allegations that MPs who spoke out against Johnson were threatened with the release of embarrassing stories to the press and the withdrawal of funding.
But the prime minister insisted he had “seen no evidence” to support the “blackmail” claim made by senior Conservative William Wragg amid anger over allegations of rule-breaking parties in No 10.
He said he would “of course” look for evidence to support the allegations, but No 10 suggested there were no plans to launch an investigation as demanded by Labour.
Wragg is one of a handful of Tory backbenchers to have said publicly they have submitted a letter to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, calling for a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson’s leadership.
Christian Wakeford, the MP who defected from the Tories to Labour in protest at Johnson’s leadership and the row over Downing Street parties, said he was threatened about the loss of a school in his constituency if he did not toe the line.
Fabricant isn’t the only one to speak out against Wragg’s claims.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told BBC News: “That is nonsense because that is not how government works.
“It is just attention-seeking behaviour from William Wragg who has been a constant critic of the prime minister, who delivered us the greatest majority since Margaret Thatcher.”
It emerged this morning that the blackmail claims could be backed up by a “secret recording and texts”.
Watch this space…
Oh, and psssssst.
If you’ve ever wondered what a party whip actually does, Fabricant provided an answer to that several years ago in a light-hearted educational YouTube video that saw him spank someone across a desk.
Enjoy.
The Whips. Who they are and what they do.www.youtube.com