Sometimes we're good at remembering that politicians and their families are just like us: normal, relatable humans. And then sometimes the Prime Minister’s wife steps out in a pair of £570 shoes for the school run.
This week, Akshata Murty was spotted jumping out of a car and walking back to Downing Street after dropping her daughters off at school in a pair of JW Anderson suede shoes. Headlines popped up on numerous news sites – the shoes, apparently, were newsworthy.
Yes, it’s arguably an obscene amount to spend on a pair of shoes in a cost-of-living crisis, when your husband is leader of the country and supposed to be in touch with the way people are struggling. But the question is, do we pore over and judge male politicians and their families’ clothes in this way? Sure, male politicians’ outfits are occasionally remarked upon, but nothing in comparison to women’s clothes and shoes. I don’t remember Theresa May’s husband’s shoes being scrutinised.
As for May, of course she didn’t escape it while in office. Who can forget the uproar around her £995 leather trousers she wore for a Sunday Times interview? It wasn’t just her shoes and clothes, she also had to put up with sexist stories about the fact that she never had children.
Meanwhile, David Cameron’s Richard James bespoke suits were estimated to cost around £3,500. And there were no headlines commenting on this, or on his legs (as there was about Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon when they met to discuss Brexit and the Scottish referendum in 2017). Donald Trump has, of course, been torn to shreds over the years for various reasons, but did we ever comment on the price of his clothes? Hilary Clinton’s outfits (also plain suits) on the other hand were often remarked upon.
I think we can all agree Akshata’s shoes are expensive. If only we could all afford to spend nearly a month's rent on a pair of shoes to wear for the school run. But the fuss we’ve seen is the familiar tale of double standards when it comes to women and politics.
If we’re going to exclaim about her out-of-touch purchases we should do the same about the expensive clothes that male politicians wear. I wonder how much Rishi Sunak's shoes cost that day?