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NITS are being driven out of the House of Commons.
MPs will be banned from sharing hairbrushes — in case they spread headlice.
Combs in washrooms have been removed under health and safety regulations aimed at protecting members.
But the move has infuriated veteran parliamentarians — who have blasted meddling Commons authorities for nit-picking.
The brushes have been used by MPs for centuries to smarten up before entering the Chamber or meeting visitors.
Tory Anthony Steen, 65, fumed in the Commons yesterday: “Health and safety have run riot. It’s lunacy.”
But Speaker Michael Martin brushed aside the complaints, saying: “MPs can bring in their own combs.”
The regulations are also intended to halt any potential spread of blood-borne diseases hepatitis and Aids.
Lib-Dem MP Nick Harvey, spokesman for the Commons Commission, defended the ban.
He said the all-party administration committee had ordered an analysis of the risks from sharing brushes.
He said: “The risk of anything being spread was low — but it did exist. Anything could be spread if someone had a slight cut on the head.
“The administration committee decided to err on the side of caution and remove them.”
Mr Harvey added: “Some long-serving Members are used to finding hairbrushes and combs in cloakrooms but nothing would have ever tempted me to use these objects.”
Tempers were also boiling last night after claims a kettle Mr Steen used was confiscated and his staff left to use water from a communal cistern.
The MP said: “My secretary scalded herself using the cisterns so they have issued first aid kits.”
The House authorities are sensitive about hygiene, having fought a long-standing battle against rats, who thrive because the building is so close to the Thames.
The Sun
