Jeremy Corby yn’s white tie dilemma at palace banquet
BARRING any lastminute miracles, Jeremy Corbyn will be unveiled as Labour’s new leader next weekend.
But before he has even taken office, he is already faced with a thorny diplomatic issue, which risks alienating his support base. One of Corbyn’s first official engagements as Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition will be to attend next month’s state banquet for Chinese President Xi Jinping, which the Queen will host at Buckingham Palace.
Invitational ‘stiffies’ to such occasions inform guests of a strict dress code, which typically state evening dress (white tie), full ceremonial attire for serving officers or national dress for foreign dignitaries.
This throws up a nasty headache for Corbyn. If he attends, the sight of the bearded old Leftie trussed up in white tie and tails like a member of the Bullingdon Club will provoke accusations that he’s an Establishment sell-out.
But if he refuses, he will be accused of unstatesmanlike behaviour. If he tries to attend in a lounge suit, he risks the embarrassment of being turned away at the gates.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment yesterday, possibly as the idea of a guest attending a state
banquet while refusing to adhere to the dress code is thought to be unprecedented. Formal wear has been a consistent headache for Labour leaders in recent times. Tony Blair would fall over himself not to have to wear a dinner jacket.
Gordon Brown, who in his ten years as Chancellor always refused to wear white tie while giving his annual Mansion House address to City of London luminaries, finally took the plunge as Prime Minister in 2007 during the state visit of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, though seemed to do his best to avoid being photographed all evening.
No word from Corbyn’s camp last night on the matter. There was recent speculation that he had undergone an eleventhhour sartorial makeover, after he was photographed on Saturday without his customary vest.
Thankfully, normal service was resumed the following day, with the vest back on display at the Notting Hill Carnival.