Darren Jones, a member of the British parliament, looked very polished in the House of Commons on Thursday — or, at least his nails did.
Jones addressed his colleagues, brandishing red nails in support of Unseen, a UK-based charity committed to ending modern slavery, and its “Let’s Nail It” campaign, the Huffington Post reported.
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The campaign encourages people to share a photo of themselves “putting two fingers up to slavery in nail bars” — with brightly colored nails, of course.
Jones joined his fellow members of parliament in Thursday’s debate reviewing the Modern Slavery Act, which targets human trafficking and slavery.
“Modern slavery is a real problem, but it often goes unseen,” Jones told Mic. “The #LetsNailIt campaign highlights that nail bars are one prominent example of enslavement taking place under our noses every day. Clearly this isn’t the case for all nail bars, but the public need to know how to spot the signs so they can tip off the UK’s modern slavery hotline.”
Read more: 9 Items in Your Kitchen That Might Have Been Made by Slaves
Jones certainly made a statement as “perhaps as the first male MP in the chamber” to rock nail polish in the House of Commons, but he wasn’t the only member of parliament who painted their nails in support of the cause.
An unusual form of preparation for a debate in the @HouseofCommons but happy to support the @UnseenOrg@ASPolice#LetsNailIt campaign today. pic.twitter.com/QMVsWp6qvD
— Darren Jones MP (@darrenpjones) October 26, 2017
Hands of MPs for Bristol East & Bristol NW @KerryMP & @darrenpjones supporting @ASPolice tackling slavery in nailbars etc. pic.twitter.com/WPqf9FV7DJ
— Thangam Debbonaire (@ThangamMP) October 26, 2017
And Jones didn’t just support Unseen’s campaign with his bold fashion statement. Last week, police officers caught flack for social media posts in support of the “Let’s Nail It” campaign, the Telegraph reported.
We've bent uniform rules to let officers paint their nails in support of #AntiSlaveryDay#LetsNailIt ACC Nikki Watson chose neon yellow ☺️💅 pic.twitter.com/ctTacvBYA5
— Avon&Somerset Police (@ASPolice) October 18, 2017
PCSO Beth of @ASPBrisCentre sporting 'police pink' for #AntiSlaveryDay#LetsNailIt 💅💕 Know how to spot the signs: https://t.co/qg50zYlyJtpic.twitter.com/OlgA1lr7XL
— Avon&Somerset Police (@ASPolice) October 18, 2017
Read more: UK Steps up Fight to End Modern Slavery
Jones also wanted to support the police force’s activism efforts.
“The British press said the police were wasting their time by starting this social media campaign. I think that’s ridiculous,” Jones told Mic. “So I was happy to make a scene in the House of Commons to stand in solidarity with them, and to shine a light on this important issue.”
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