ASKED about parents taking their children to school in pyjamas and whether he would ever do it the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn had a pithy response: "I would recommend a coat."

He was in Middlesbrough to meet former SSI steelworkers who lost their jobs last year and are now retraining at Middlesbrough's £20m Stem Centre, an industrial training centre run by Middlesbrough College.

But after talking about unemployment, the state of the economy, inequality, the refugee crisis and all the great political problems of the day, he was questioned on what is the biggest talking point of the week (at least in Darlington's Skerne Park estate): Should parents be allowed to take their children to school wearing only their pyjamas?

The story of how parents have been taking their children to school in their pyjamas at the Skerne Park Academy primary school has attracted tens of thousands of hits since it appeared on The Northern Echo website.

Mr Corbyn was asked if the PJ Parents represented a decline in standards? And would he ever take his grandson to school wearing only his pyjamas himself?

Laughing that he would certainly not be inclined to go to school dressed only in his jamas, Mr Corbyn said: "I don't think it's necessarily a decline. I think it's either people wishing to fashion parade themselves, there's always that, or they're just too lazy to put their clothes on in the morning and go to school. Personally I wouldn't do it, but I'm not that bothered about it.

"As long as people are properly dressed, but it sounds to me like people going outside on a cold morning in only their pyjamas is not a great idea. I would advise people to put a coat on."

Later the Labour leader said that the most important thing was that children were being taken to school, properly fed after a good night's sleep.