Stylishness rating
★★★★★
What does a non-believer wear to church? This was the dilemma facing Nick Clegg as he attended a community church in Burnley today.
And what do you know, the Lib Dem leader plumped for the ultra-safe wardrobe choice: a very traditional suit and tie. Well, he couldn't risk the undecided God vote by going scruff, could he?
Perhaps Miriam and his sons advised him on achieving the Sunday best look. Or maybe weekend polling indicated that voters thought his Saturday chic (open-necked shirt, no tie) made him look like a Britain's Got Talent judge.
Certainly the colour was appropriate for church, as it was a particularly ecclesiastical shade of purple.
But Clegg isn't earning many style points here. He is a late adopter of the trend – Labour have been pushing purple for at least 18 months, with Brown wearing the colour for the final TV debate.
The Tories have jumped on the fad too: David Cameron chose a purple tie for the Sky debate. It is a little disappointing to see Clegg succumbing to the trend, given that he's meant to be doing things differently. Plus he has such a lovely collection of yellow ties.
It does mean, in wardrobe terms, that one thing is likely on Thursday – purple is odds-on to be the colour of a hung parliament.
