A PENSIONERS’ campaigner was forced to turn her T-shirt inside-out before entering Parliament as it showed her group’s slogan.

Daphne Chaplin was wearing her Tendring Pensioners’ Action Group top on a visit to lobby MP Douglas Carswell.

After passing through the metal detector and body search, she was called back.

A security guard asked her what the lettering on her T-shirt stood for. After explaining, she was told to take it off.

The fact Mrs Chaplin, of Sladbury’s Lane, Holland-on-Sea, did not have another shirt did not make any difference – she was told to go into a side room and turn it inside out.

Mrs Chaplin said: “Where is this country going? We came down last year and posed in our T-shirts.

“The annoying thing was the lack of consistency, some people were allowed through with their T-shirts on.

“I was pushed into the corner to undress, what a way to treat a lady in her 70s on crutches. I thought of coming out but decided no, why should I?”

Fellow Tenpag member Gordon Beare said visiting their MP at the House of Commons is becoming an “ordeal”.

“We will consider if the effort required is too much of an ordeal for a future lobby visit by our members, many of whom are veterans of past wars, having fought for democracy and freedom,” he said.

Mr Carswell described it as another example of overzealous officialdom.

Full story in today's Gazette