Politics Latest: Parliament’s Christmas jumper revealed – as Tory group rejects both top candidates | Politics News

It’s not Halloween yet, let alone Advent, but Parliament has unveiled its new Christmas jumper design for the 2024 festive season.

And it appears to be politically neutral.

The revelation also comes ahead of Scrooge Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October 30 budget, which has many MPs shouting “Bah, humbug!” about their winter gas cost cuts.

The color of this year’s sweater is very green. Are we on the way to a net zero Christmas? Unlikely.

But this year there is no Labor red, Tory blue or Liberal Democrat yellow to be seen anywhere.

“Parliament has unveiled a new design for its 2024 Christmas jumper,” reads the official announcement, “paying homage to the colors of the House of Commons benches, with a vibrant shade of green that embodies both the spirit of the season and the traditions of Parliament .” .

“Crafted in Leicester from GRS certified recycled yarns, this unisex sweater features a design inspired by the unique floor tiles at the Palace of Westminster and incorporates various symbols associated with Parliament, such as the iconic portcullis.”

GRS? No, me neither. Apparently it stands for Global Recycled Standard, which means it is made from a certain percentage of recycled material.

Changing designs

Parliament’s Christmas jumpers are not an ancient tradition. They were released in 2019 and the design has changed every year since then.

Mind you, we are the fourth Prime Minister since she took office.

However, I still have my 2019 version and wore it to the polling station on Election Day on December 12th when I voted with Ms. Craig and our Defend Our Borders supporting dog.

And this year’s might be particularly useful…

This year the colors were in keeping with the House of Commons tradition: green and gold. But since then we have had Labor red – or House of Lords red – and Tory blue.

Two years ago, Angela Rayner appeared at the dispatch box in the House of Commons wearing a very personal Christmas jumper with the words “Ginger is for life, not just for Christmas” written on the front.

It was in support of a Save The Children charity campaign and coincided with a suggestion from a junior Conservative minister, Alex Burghart, who suggested MPs should “put on fresh jumpers to keep warm”.

Will the Labor government issue similar advice on Christmas jumpers this December when the row over winter fuel payments – and the cold – really bites?

Apparently Parliament’s Christmas jumpers aren’t just for voluptuous liberals.

“Bah, humbug!”