Many Labour high fliers have sacrificed facial hair in the name of naked ambition. In Westminster politics, beards and moustaches are definitely on the decline. William Hague's shadow cabinet is a clean sweep of the freshly shaven and there is little room for facial hair in the government. Robin Cook and David Blunkett stand firm but Peter Mandelson, Alastair Darling, Geoff Hoon and Stephen Byers have said goodbye to their bristles. However, hardline Labour backbenchers such as Jeremy Corbyn and Paul Flynn continue to sport beards as does Tony Blair loyalist Lord Puttnam.
Psychologists speculate that beards are perceived as dishonest because they cover the face.
However, cynics say the political problem comes down to age - beards look old, and that does not help project an image of youthful dynamism. Mrs Thatcher was not alone in taking against facial plumage. The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea briefly took against bearded customers at its Bristol store. The scientific name for a beard wearers is a pognopholic, while Labour spin doctors might claim pogonophobia - fear of beards. Standing up for the rights of the bearded is the Beard Liberation Front.