Who is Michael Fabricant? Tory MP for Lichfield who appeared on Celebrity First Dates
AS OUTSPOKEN as he is flamboyantly coiffured, Michael Fabricant is one of the most colourful and recognisable MPs in Parliament.
Last year the veteran Tory branched out into the world of reality TV and went looking for love with an appearance on Celebrity First Dates – here's what you need to know about him.
Who is Michael Fabricant?
Michael Fabricant is a Tory MP who has represented the picturesque Staffordshire city of Lichfield since 1997.
He was born in Brighton on June 12 1950, and studied economics at Loughborough University before pursuing post-graduate studies at the Universities of Sussex, Oxford and London.
After standing unsuccessfully for the Labour stronghold of South Shields in 1987, Fabricant became an MP for Mid Staffordshire in 1992.
The seat was abolished for the 1997 General Election, but he claimed the constituency of Lichfield by the slenderest of margins, a mere 238 majority.
Fabricant has extended his majority in each election since, with the margin in 2017 an incredibly healthy 18,581.
The 67-year-old cuts a distinctive figure in the House of Commons with his trademark flowing blonde mane, which rivals claim is a wig – something he denies, although he admits to some "enhancement".
During his parliamentary career, Fabricant has established himself as a staunch Brexiteer, who called for pact between his party and Ukip in 2012 to force an In/Out referendum.
He has also courted some controversy, often caused by his outspoken views and eccentric, candid approach to social media.
In 2012, he was sacked from his role as Tory Vice-Chairman after tweeting "about time" following the resignation of his party colleague Maria Miller as Culture Minister.
However, Fabricant told he believed that his departure was also sparked by him making a bizarre joke about bestiality with llamas on Twitter.
The MP is unmarried, and revealed in an interview with the that he has had relationships with both men and women.
"I’m not exclusively gay [though] I have certainly done things with a bloke," he told the paper.
What TV shows has Michael Fabricant been on?
Fabricant's involvement with Celebrity First Dates (where he dates a woman), was revealed by The Sun's Bizarre column.
His appearance was then confirmed in hilarious style by Theresa May during PMQs, the Prime Minister joking that she wasn't sure if he was the celebrity or the date.
He later revealed that the £25,000 appearance fee for the show – which is part of Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer series – would be going to Cancer Research.
Fabricant has first-hand experience of the disease, having been treated for both prostate cancer and skin cancer in recent years.
Ahead of the show, the Lichfield MP excitedly re-tweeted a trailer that showed him, in his own words, "making a tit" of himself.
However, it's by no means Fabricant's first foray onto telly screens beyond the day job.
In a memorable 2013 appearance on the satirical BBC show Have I Got News For You, he sparked mixed responses from fans and the panel, with Paul Merton at one point moved to ask if he was a real person.
What did Michael Fabricant say about the Westminster sex scandal?
In November 2017, Mr Fabricant penned an article in the in the wake of allegations being made of sexual impropriety and assault against a number of MPs.
He called for an independent body to investigate claims of sexual harassment or assault to avoid the risk of what he called: "vexatious allegations carelessly bandied around on social media by third parties for personal or party political gain".
He wrote: "This is why we need an external body to be established to investigate and deal with allegations that while not unlawful, are nonetheless unseemly or improper in an employer-employee environment.
"Due process has to be at the heart of the new framework, and everyone must have confidence in the system."