Former Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has spoken out after party leader Kemi Badenoch claimed that she doesn't have his support because he is a "gay man".Speaking on BBC Radio West Midlands, Badenoch was played comments made by Fabricant about the party, to which he claimed he is "not in love with Kemi" and believes others in the party such as Robert Jenrick are "doing all the heavy lifting".FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she's not surprised that former Tory MP Sir Michael Fabricant doesn't support her.
00:07Well, speaking to BBC Radio West Midlands, the two former colleagues were discussing Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick's potential leadership ambitions.
00:18I'm not in love with Kemi. I feel that others are doing all the heavy lifting, in particular Rob Jenrick, who's a friend of mine.
00:26I would say that I'm building a great team. Rob is doing his job. He's working hard. I'm not the Shadow Justice Secretary.
00:32But of course, Michael is friends with him. And, you know, I'm not surprised that he's not in love with me.
00:37He is a gay man and I'm a woman. So I think that it's always nice to get everyone's feedback.
00:43But at the end of the day, that was a bit low. Come on.
00:46No, no, no. But you asked the question. I, you know, I like Michael Fabricant a lot. He's on the right of the party.
00:52Well, that was on BBC West Midlands. And let's set the record straight now, bringing the man himself, the former MP Sir Michael Fabricant.
01:01Michael, Kemi made an accusation there.
01:05Yes. Well, first of all, anybody who really knows me knows I'm not gay.
01:09I'm bi, which is very different, though I do love camping it up at times.
01:13So perhaps that's why she got under that impression.
01:16But I thought, what a very odd thing to say on a radio interview when you're trying to get people to vote Conservative in the local elections.
01:25Not a clever one, I think.
01:27Well, you clearly meant that she's not your first choice of leader or, you know, you're lukewarm towards her leadership.
01:35Well, she took it to mean a romantic intention, whether or not you love her.
01:39Well, I think that's what must have happened. I mean, you weren't able to play the whole clip, but it was pretty clear.
01:45I was talking about other things generally. And I was asked whether, you know, I'm a big supporter.
01:50And being an honest sort of guy, I thought I'm not going to say, yeah, I'm a big supporter.
01:55Because, you know, one of the things, Miriam, that, you know, is a fantastic thing is when you're no longer an MP, you can be a bit more honest about things.
02:03And I just said, you know, that others are doing the heavy lifting, Rob Jenrick, Mel Stride, and really she needs to get her act together.
02:11I was trying to be helpful.
02:13But yet, but yet you said, I'm not in love with her.
02:16And do you think she really took it as a romantic proclamation?
02:21Or was she just having a bit of a joke?
02:24Well, I don't know quite what goes on in her head, to be honest with you.
02:29I just think the viewers, or other, I should say, listeners' reaction on Radio WM was unusually universally on my side.
02:38They thought that it was a very bizarre thing for her to say.
02:42I think she sort of single-handedly managed to alienate bisexuals, heterosexuals, and the homosexual community, of which is quite large, I might add, in the Birmingham area.
02:53But, I mean, you and I both know, when you're being interviewed, you sometimes just say the first thing that comes into your head, which sounded funny at the time, and later on you go to regret.
03:02Do you think that's just an example of this?
03:04Well, it probably was.
03:06But you know what?
03:06She is the leader of the party.
03:08And if the leader of the party is to be taken seriously, you actually do have to think before you open your gob.
03:15And at times, you know, I've said things I've regretted, but look, I've never stood for leadership of the party.
03:23And I just think Kemi didn't help herself on that occasion.
03:27And she just needs to think before she speaks.
03:31OK.
03:31Well, Sir Michael Fabricant, thanks indeed for joining us and hopefully clearing up a bit of an interesting communication there on BBC West Midlands.