Flamboyant scarves and crocheted ties – what on earth is Robert Peston wearing?

When it comes to standing out among the grey men in suits, the political editor of ITV News is a floppy head of hair above everyone else says Simon Mills. But there is one trick he is missing….

Peston’s penchant for flamboyant scarves and ties is a (sometimes) welcome distraction from the grim political news (ITV @Peston/X)

There comes a time in every older, still vanity-conscious man’s life when he must take to the scarf. The youthful shroud of the hoodie, funnel neck and parka snorkel is left to be wasted on the young, and from his late forties onwards, throwing caution and cashmere to the wind, tying himself in a series of knots, a man will enter the flamboyant foulard years. Yes, these have come late for ITV News political editor Robert Peston, now 63, but boy is he ever making up for lost time.

Earlier this week, standing outside No 10 and announcing David Cameron’s appointment as foreign secretary, Peston pulled out his scarf of many colours. Tourniqueted around his skinny neck like a desert shemagh, with its rainbow hue and complex, Missoni-esque weave pattern, the scarf felt more surprising even than the former PM’s shock return to the cabinet. David Cameron is back, yes, but what on earth is Peston wearing?

Peston reports on the dramatic cabinet reshuffle in vibrantly coloured neckwear (Alamy)