Male MPs plan to stage a protest in the House of Commons at being banned from taking a manbag into debates.

In a rare alliance between Conservatives and the SNP, two MPs say they are unhappy that women can carry a handbag on to the green leather benches.

They claim it ‘perpetuates stigma and gender stereotypes’ and want the rules of the Commons changed.

SNP MP Martin Docherty (right) said the ban on men taking bags into the Commons ‘perpetuates stigma and gender stereotypes’ and has lined up with Tory MP Stephen Phillips (left) to stage a protest

Commons Speaker John Bercow is able to rule on what is and is not parliamentary behaviour, including what MPs wear and what they say.

Erskine May, the official parliamentary rulebook, even spells out what they can do while sitting in the Commons when they are not speaking.

We perpetuate stereotypes of gender. Honourable gentlemen are not allowed to bring a bag into the Chamber SNP MP Martin Docherty

Props are banned - which stops MPs waving around newspapers, posters and balls during debates.

Now two MPs claim the rules allowing women to take a ban into the Chamber is sexist, because men cannot.

During a debate on equality, the SNP’s Martin Docherty - who was wearing a bow tie - said: ‘Even in this Chamber, we perpetuate stereotypes of gender. Honourable gentlemen are not allowed to bring a bag into the Chamber, and yet honourable ladies are more than delighted to bring in a small handbag.

‘That perpetuates stigma and gender stereotypes,’ the MP for West Dunbartonshire said.

Stephen Phillips, Tory MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said: ‘As one of the few Members of the House who has a man bag, I will stage a protest with the honourable gentleman.

‘We will both bring in our bags and see whether we are upbraided by the Chair and receive some sort of censure for doing so.’

Male MPs cannot take a manbag into the House of Commons, but women can sit with a handbag with them

There was no immediate response from the Speaker’s Chair about whether the protest would be clamped down on.

But a House of Commons spokesman said: 'There is no specific rule about ‘manbags’ as such. One of the conventions and courtesies of the House, which applies to all MPs, is that briefcases should not be brought into the Chamber.'

Male MPs also privately complain about the dress code in the Commons, because they are expected to wear a suit and tie – even in the summer.

An official guide to the Commons states: ‘The dress of Members these days is generally that which might ordinarily be worn for a fairly formal business transaction - the Speaker has, on a number of occasions, taken exception to informal clothing, including the non-wearing of jackets and ties by men.’

Men are also banned from speaking in the Commons while wearing a hat, but women are exempt from this rule.

There are strict rules on what MPs can wear, with men expected to wear a suit and tie to take part in debates

Until as recently as 1998, two black top hats were kept in the Commons for MPs to put on to raise a point of order – a complaint directed at the Speaker.

The rule was scrapped by the New Labour government, which claimed it ‘really does make the House of Commons look ridiculous’.

Last year Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman flouted the rules by wearing a pro-feminism t-shirt to Prime Minister's Questions.

She sat next to Ed Miliband on the frontbench wearing the shirt declaring: 'This is what a feminist looks like.'

However, the rules on what MPs can wear in the Chamber are strict. In 2013 Green MP Caroline Lucas was rebuked for trying to wear an anti-Page 3 t-shirt during a debate.