Jeremy Hunt scolded for attire while appearing in Commons virtually for Brexit debate

Jeremy Hunt was reprimanded for his appearance in the House of Commons while virtually dialling in to take part in the Brexit deal debate.

After asking Matt Hancock — who took over the floor from Boris Johnson once MPs had voted through the deal — a question about schools returning in January, Mr Hunt was called out by speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle for not adhering to the Commons’ strict dress code.

Live footage from inside the chamber showed Sir Lindsay asking Mr Hancock to “hold on a moment” when the health secretary stood up to respond to Mr Hunt’s question.

“Can I just remind members who are not in the chambers, that you should have the same dress code even if you are virtual — it is only fair that we treat each other with the same respect,” Sir Lindsay told Mr Hunt, before signalling to Mr Hancock to continue. 

Mr Hunt, the MP for South West Surrey, appeared to be wearing a formal shirt — as is required — but was not sporting a jacket or tie and had his top button undone.

While there was not enough time to offer an apology as questions swiftly continued, Mr Hunt later uploaded a clip to Twitter of his question to Mr Hancock — though he edited out Sir Lindsay’s scolding.

It is not the first time an MP has been scolded by the current speaker for flouting dress code rules. Just two weeks ago, Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan appeared via video link in the Commons to ask Jacob Rees-Mogg a question but was interrupted by Sir Lindsay who had noticed Mr Brennan was wearing a black T-shirt. 

“There is a dress code for members who are not in the chamber as well in the chamber,” the speaker said.

The speaker previously outlined the Commons’ new virtual rules when it became clear it was no longer safe for MPs to travel to and from Westminster on a daily or even a weekly basis. 

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari in April, Sir Lindsay said standards would remain high, stating: “I think it's only fair that the same rules apply to someone who’s in the chamber to someone remotely. Hence why I am very worried about Michael Fabricant’s pink shorts.”

The comment was a reference to a Twitter poll that Tory MP Michael Fabricant created at the start of the pandemic, in which he asked his followers what he should wear in his living room if he were called to ask a question at virtual PMQs. While a suit and tie got 17.7 per cent of the votes, the winner was a pair of his pink shorts with 52.5 per cent.

Sir Lindsay later directly instructed Mr Fabricant not to wear the shorts while appearing virtually in the Commons. 

Twitter users described Wednesday’s reprimind of Mr Hunt’s as “ludicrous” and a “circus”, with one writing: “So this virus is still circulating, it’s ruining people’s lives, jobs, businesses, mental health and the biggest thing that happened in the commons today was Jeremy Hunt getting a negative comment for not having his top button done".