Sir Michael Fabricant: Veteran MP knighted by King

An MP who has served his constituency since 1992 has been knighted by the King at Windsor Castle.

Sir Michael Fabricant, Conservative MP for Lichfield said the ceremony on Tuesday was "nerve-wracking" but "a great honour".

The 73-year-old was given a knighthood in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.

Sir Michael said he discussed the National Memorial Arboretum with King Charles at the ceremony.

He said holding onto his seat in the 1997 Labour landslide was his biggest career achievement.

"Much to my amazement, surviving 1997, which of course was when Labour swept the board.

"Even though I only had a small majority of about 4,000, I still held my seat," he said.Labour returned to government under Tony Blair after securing 418 seats in Parliament, with the largest majority since 1945, while the Conservatives won their lowest number in more than 90 years.

Sir Michael also retained his seat in the 2019 general election with a majority of more than 23,000.

He added that his own interest in Lichfield has been the reason for his lengthy political career.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]