MP auctioned dress after facing criticism on social media when wearing it in the Commons

This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

An off-the-shoulder dress worn by Tracy Brabin in the House of Commons has raised more than £20,000 for Girlguiding UK.

The Labour frontbencher was forced to defend her attire last week after the dress slipped off her shoulder when she leaned on the despatch box because of a broken ankle.

The final bid in the online auction for the dress came seconds before the auction ended at 6.41pm on Thursday, with the winning bidder paying £20,200, plus £3.48 postage.

Brabin told PA Media: “It’s extremely humbling to be able to do this for Girlguiding and I am looking forward to attending a meeting tonight and celebrating with the girls.

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“I want to encourage them to really be proud of who they are, to support each other as girls and to not take any criticism from anyone – particularly boys – as I have found in my experiences with Twitter.”

At the time of the criticism, Brabin tweeted that she was not a “slag, hungover, a tart, about to breastfeed, a slapper, drunk, just been banged over a wheelie bin”.

More than 180 bids were placed on the dress, which had a starting price of £10 and was originally bought on Asos for £35.

Brabin said she listed the dress as a way of standing up for women in the workplace. “I thought I would maybe get £500 for it, which would have been amazing,” she said. “I do not think in three years being an MP anything has made quite as much of an impact as this.”

After the auction ended, Brabin said she would be attending a meeting of the 1st Roberttown and Norristhorpe Guides, based in her constituency.

Henrietta, a 15-year-old member of Girlguiding’s advocate panel, said: “You could say that I’m foolish for wanting to be an MP. As #shouldergate has shown, female MPs are often vilified for their looks, not their actions.

“This demeans girls and our aspirations to be politicians. But Tracy Brabin – and all the people who supported her and Girlguiding by bidding on the dress – have shown that oppression is never acceptable.

“Girlguiding helped me persevere against the judgment of my looks. I’m elated that the money raised is going to an organisation that inspires girls and builds our confidence at a time where women’s concerns are dismissed as ‘humbug’. Girlguiding makes the future brighter for girls and young women.”