What can you wear in the chamber?

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It is a question that has puzzled me for some time.

In the 12 months that I have had my lobby pass, I have observed that the rules of attire in the Commons appear to differ depending on the sex of the MP.

I am not talking about what MPs wear when passing through the chamber during divisions - it is commonplace to see some members in gym kit, others in tuxedos and evening gowns.

Women MPs in evening gowns, obviously.

The rules, for men at least, are much stricter when the House going about the rest of its business.

A number of female members, in this parliament and what I saw of the last one, wear cardigans and leggings and other casual attire.

I won't even be allowed in the press gallery without a tie, and male MPs can be denied the right to speak unless they also have a tie and jacket on.

The normally reliable Erskine May is vague on the matter, being more concerned with men showing off their bling.

"Members are not permitted to wear decorations in the House.

"The wearing of military insignia or uniforms inside the chamber is not in accordance with the long-established custom of the House.

"The Speaker has also stated that it is the custom for gentlemen members to wear jackets and ties."

Yesterday Thomas Docherty, looking smart in a suit and tie, contributed to his growing reputation as a 'House of Commons man' by asking for guidance.

The Labour MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, first elected in May, had spotted a female opposition member wearing what looked like black denim.

He decided to take the matter up with deputy Speaker Dawn Primarolo.

"On a point of order, madam deputy Speaker, members have been spotted in recent days wearing such items as denim in the House and catching the Speaker’s eye," he said.

"Could you or the Speaker issue guidance to new members such as myself on an appropriate dress code for the mother of Parliaments?"

Primarolo refused to be drawn, saying MPs of both genders must abide by the "common dress code for the chamber, which is to be smart".

She told him he could always speak to the member and "advise them", but "using the time of the Chair or Mr Speaker to nudge members in that direction is inappropriate".

Docherty told ePolitix.com that while he does not want to 'pick out' individual MPs, there is a wider point.

Namely the rules do not seem to be clear, and the new intake have had scant guidance on what not to wear.

The attire of female MPs in the chamber varies wildly between very formal business suits to glamourous fashion must-haves (that's Penny Mordaunt) to what might be termed country casual.

I saw one MP wearing mittens in the chamber the other day.

A Parliamentary factsheet, updated this year, on the traditions and custom of the House sets out the rules, such as they are.

"The dress of members these days is generally that which might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction," it states.

"The Speaker has, on a number of occasions,taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men.

"Practice and usage has, however, varied, and at certain periods of the past, non-conformity with the ruling fashion has been a political statement, as with Cromwell ["His linen was plain and not very clean ... his hat without a hatband ... a plain cloth suit ... made by an ill country tailor"] and the Puritans.

In the eighteenth century, formality was the rule and the fashion of wearing wigs caught on: they are retained today in the wigs of the Speaker and Clerks (although the present Speaker has chosen not to wear a wig)."

That seems to suggest that women MPs are not falling foul of the rules, for it is hard to decide what constitutes formality in fashion terms in 2010.

It is also hard to envisage a situation in which a male Speaker or deputy Speaker would upbraid a female MP for her attire.

The world has changed since Lady Astor arrived in an expensive hat and began shaking things up.

In the chamber yesterday Docherty asked:

"Could the Speaker circulate that dress code to all members, on both sides of the House, so that we do not have a dress-down Thursday in future?"

Perhaps it is time to update Erskine May to reflect the fact that the ever-increasing number of women MPs have no hard and fast rules like their male colleagues.

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