Some Tories have perfected the art of defending the indefensible for Downing Street

It is often a case of merely surviving the next quarter of an hour in a broadcast studio, argues Sean O’Grady

Bunker mentality: the occupant of No 10 is truly blessed in the make-up of his indefatigable Praetorian Guard (Andy Rain/EPA)

Given the sheer volume of scandals emanating from Downing Street – Partygate being only the latest – the prime minister is fortunate in having someone ready to rush to a keyboard or broadcast studio to deploy immediate assistance to their stricken chief.

The prime minister is a little less fortunate in that the first figure on the scene is usually the elaborately syruped figure of Michael Fabricant MP.

Fabricant has been around Westminster for some many years. He was first elected in 1992 to represent Mid-Staffordshire and later the city of Lichfield, his luxuriant hairstyle often echoing the magnificent unchanging frontage of the medieval cathedral.