Does British Parliament still wear wigs? Almost never. Elected MPs and appointed peers have never worn them, and the officials who did have largely stopped. The House of Commons ended the requirement for its Clerks in 2017, the House of Lords followed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and wigs now reliably appear only at high ceremonial moments like the State Opening of Parliament.
Who Wore Wigs in the First Place
Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords do not wear wigs and have not done so in modern parliamentary history. The tradition applied to certain officials who serve the chambers rather than sit in them.
Chief among them were the Clerks at the Table, the impartial officials who sit at the center of each chamber, record decisions, and advise on procedure. The Clerk of the House of Commons still puts on a bob wig with full court dress for the State Opening, complete with wing collar, white bow tie, black gown, and lace jabot and cuffs.1UK Parliament. Clerk of the House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons once wore one too. That ended in 1992, when Betty Boothroyd was elected Speaker and announced she would not wear a wig. No Speaker since has revived the practice. The Serjeant at Arms, who carries the mace before the Speaker and keeps order in the chamber, wears court dress and a sword but not a wig.2UK Parliament. The Serjeant at Arms – Tradition Meets Modernity
When Wigs Still Appear
The State Opening of Parliament is the one occasion where parliamentary wigs reliably surface. The Clerk of the House of Commons wears full court dress including a bob wig for the ceremony.1UK Parliament. Clerk of the House of Commons In the House of Lords, full ceremonial uniform including wigs is also worn at the State Opening, with modified ceremonial dress at other formal moments like prorogation and the introduction of new peers.3UK Parliament. Written Questions, Answers and Statements – HL3269
These moments are infrequent. The State Opening typically happens once a year, and the other occasions are scattered across a session. On ordinary sitting days, no one in either chamber wears a wig.
Why the Commons Dropped Wigs in 2017
Speaker John Bercow announced in 2017 that Clerks at the Table in the House of Commons would no longer wear wigs or the traditional bob wig uniform during daily sittings. Bercow said the change would “convey to the public a marginally less stuffy and forbidding image of this chamber at work,” and noted it reflected the overwhelming view of the Clerks themselves.
Part of the motivation was expanding the number of officials permitted at the Commons table, with the aim of having more women visible in those roles. The women did not want to wear or share the horsehair wigs. The most common complaint from Clerks of either gender was reportedly the fiddly bow tie. The Clerks kept their gowns and shed the rest of the traditional uniform for regular business.
Why the Lords Followed During the Pandemic
The House of Lords held on longer. The change came when Parliament had to hire extra clerks to manage socially distanced proceedings for elderly peers and virtual sittings. Authorities balked at the cost of outfitting temporary staff with horsehair wigs and two sets of full ceremonial dress.
The temporary clerks were kept on after the emergency passed. Rather than kit them out retrospectively, all sixteen Lords Clerks were given permission to wear a gown over ordinary business attire for regular sittings.3UK Parliament. Written Questions, Answers and Statements – HL3269 The then Lord Speaker acknowledged the change but expressed a preference for traditional table dress without wigs, suggesting the wig was the element least missed even by traditionalists.
What the Wigs Are and What They Cost
The wigs worn by parliamentary Clerks are called bob wigs. They are compact, close to the head, made from horsehair, and white or off-white, echoing the old practice of powdering natural-hair wigs. They are far less dramatic than the flowing full-bottomed wigs associated with senior judges. Clerks have consistently described them as hot and itchy.
They are also expensive. A standard barrister’s horsehair wig from Ede & Ravenscroft, the London firm that makes most legal and parliamentary wigs, currently runs about £2,700. Full-bottomed judicial wigs cost considerably more. When the House of Lords considered buying wigs for its temporary pandemic-era clerks, the estimate came to roughly £2,000 per person, a figure that contributed directly to the decision not to bother.
Courts Are a Separate Story
Parliament and the courts are often confused on this point. Civil and family court judges in England and Wales stopped wearing wigs on January 1, 2008, when the Lord Chief Justice announced the change; the reform was expected to save the courts roughly £300,000 per year. Criminal courts kept the tradition. Barristers and judges in criminal proceedings in England and Wales still wear wigs, and the horsehair bob wig remains a standard part of a barrister’s professional wardrobe. That is a courtroom practice, not a parliamentary one.
For anyone watching a typical day’s proceedings in either House from the public gallery, the wigless era arrived years ago.