Michael Fabricant MP – knighthood is honour for whole of Lichfield

The veteran Conservative MP was on holiday in Croatia when he found out he had been named in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

It means Staffordshire now has three parliamentary knights, the others being Sir Bill Cash in Stone – who was promoted to the Order of the Companions of Honour and is stepping down next year – and South Staffordshire's Sir Gavin Williamson. Cannock Chase MP Amanda Milling has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Mr Fabricant, an MP for more than 30 years and a staunch supporter of Mr Johnson, said: "I am indeed honoured to have been awarded a knighthood. I first learned about it officially just 24 hours before it was publicly announced.

"I finally heard about the announcement while I was in Zagreb with a rather dicey mobile connection.

"A former colleague from the House of Commons has told me I am the first Parliamentary knight for the Lichfield constituency since my predecessor Major General Sir Jack d’Avigdor-Goldsmid MP who inherited the baronetcy from his brother in December 1976, but I am the first to have been appointed a knight for services to Lichfield and Parliament. In those days, Sir Jack was MP for Lichfield and Tamworth.

“I hope to continue serving the people of the Lichfield and Burntwood constituency answering the many thousands of emails and letters I receive each year, helping with their problems and raising issues important to the constituency in Parliament.

"The knighthood is an honour for the whole constituency."

Mr Fabricant was first elected for Mid-Staffordshire in 1992 and won the Lichfield seat that replaced it in 1997.

The publication of the honours list sparked a public row between Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak over claims some names had been removed.