Not all the ties were black

Labour infighting spilled over into the wardrobe today as the party failed to impose a disciplined dress code during Commons tributes to the Queen Mother.

Ministers faced a sea of black on the Tory side of the chamber. Every man on the Conservative front bench stuck to a simple formula: dark suit, light shirt, black tie. Women wore black or grey suits.

On the Government side it was a different picture. Tony Blair tried to set the standard in a black suit, white shirt and black tie. Chancellor Gordon Brown followed his lead.

Most of the front bench wore black ties but three men broke ranks. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's tie was grey and black. Andrew Smith's was navy blue with little white dots and Nick Brown's was maroon with blue stripes. All would have scraped through the BBC's "sombre" test, but the backbenchers were a mixed bunch. Only a third sported black ties. Loudest dressed was Jeremy Corbyn, in his customary attire of a terracotta suit, yellow shirt and red tie.

It was Labour's women who strayed farthest from traditional mourning black, with Valerie Davey in bright blue and Rosemary McKenna in maroon and magenta.