Male MPs wear ‘hot flush’ vests to simulate menopause

Male MPs have been trying on vests that simulate the feeling of a hot flush, which some women experience during the menopause.

The event was organised in parliament by Labour MP Carolyn Harris and the menopause support provider Over the Bloody Moon, with former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting among those taking part.

Carolyn Harris, who has spoken openly about her own experience of menopause, said it was “easy to underestimate” the intensity of hot flushes and the impact they have on daily life, and hoped the vests would help male colleagues empathise with the experience.