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Some years ago a colleague from New Scientist magazine was challenged at the door of the Cafe Royal, the venue for a farming press conference. "Sorry Sir but no admission without a tie," he was told. He lifted his sweater and replied "There it is". And so it was, around his waist holding up his trousers.

That's a bit of an outdated rule surely? It is the press gallery, not a gentlemen's club.

Oh, yes, sorry, pardon me.

On reflection, the habit of most of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s finest swanning off for weeks at the drop of a school holiday is maybe no bad thing.

No like anything of substance happened to write about anyway.

I heard that ties are no longer claimable on expenses, so he's a lucky man there was any spare going in the Commons.

I have immense difficulty in treating half-dressed scruffy herberts with any degree of seriousness. If you can't be bothered to treat other people with due courtesy by dressing yourself to a proper standard then don't expect any consideration. It is not as if being a Press Secretary involves manual work. I trust he had his trousers hitched up above his backside.

Even Tesco has banned people wearing pyjamas from their stores, and quiet right too! There is a time and a place.