It’s not yet Halloween, let alone Advent, but parliament has launched its new Christmas jumper design for the 2024 Christmas season. And it appears to be politically neutral.
The unveiling also comes before Scrooge Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ 30 October budget, which has many MPs chuntering “Bah, humbug!” over her winter fuel payment cuts.
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As for the colour of this year’s jumper, it’s very green. Are we heading for a net zero Christmas? Unlikely. But there’s no Labour red, Tory blue or Lib Dem yellow to be seen anywhere this year.
“Parliament has unveiled a new design for its 2024 Christmas jumper,” the official announcement declares, “paying tribute to the colours of the House of Commons benches, with a vibrant green hue that embodies both the spirit of the season and the traditions of parliament.
“Crafted in Leicester using GRS-certified recycled yarns, this unisex jumper features a design inspired by the unique floor tiles found across the Palace of Westminster, incorporating various symbols associated with parliament such as the iconic portcullis.”
GRS? No, me neither. Apparently it stands for Global Recycled Standard, which means it’s made of recycled material.
Parliament’s Christmas jumpers are not an age-old tradition. They were launched in 2019 and the design has changed each year since. Mind you, we are on our fourth prime minister since their launch.
I still have my 2019 version, however, and wore it at the polling station on general election day on 12 December as I voted with Mrs Craig and our dog, who supports the Defend Our Borders party.
That year the colours were very much in keeping with House of Commons tradition, green and gold. But since then we’ve had Labour red – or House of Lords red – and Tory blue.
Two years ago Angela Rayner appeared at the despatch box in the Commons in a very personal Christmas jumper, with the words “gingers are for life not just for Christmas” on the front.
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It was in support of a Save the Children charity campaign and coincided with a Tory junior minister, Alex Burghart, suggesting MPs could “put on fresh jumpers to keep warm”.
Will the Labour government be offering similar advice about Christmas jumpers this December, when the winter fuel payments row – and the cold – really starts to bite?
Parliament’s Christmas jumpers are not just for woolly liberals, obviously.
“Bah, humbug!”
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