Throughout his political career, he has had to cope with ribald comments about his name.

And Ed Balls hardly helped his cause yesterday when he took part in a football match wearing a pair of shorts which left little to the imagination.

The Schools Secretary, a married father of three, was playing for an MPs' XI against members of the media in a traditional party conference match.

Figure hugging: Ed Balls shows off more than a six-pack in skimpy sportswear

One onlooker said: 'It looked like he was wearing his nephew's shorts or something he had back when he was at school.

'There were some comments from the sidelines about his mini shorts and there was some laughter amongst photographers.

King of Cling: Mr Balls quickly gets up for the ball in his tight shorts

'It was like he had a pair of cycling shorts on - not the most appropriate wear for a game of football. No one knew where to look.'

But his bright green shorts which offered little in the way of support, certainly didn't slow him down on the pitch. 

Mr Balls managed to score twice during a 5-2 victory for the honourable members and despite, or perhaps because of, those clinging shorts was named man of the match.

The whole package: Ed Balls shows off his ball skills on the pitch

Labour MPs on the team including Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, were clad in the same strip of white and green whilst the opposing side wore yellow and black.

But none of the MP's kit was nearly as figure hugging as that exhibited by their star player, Mr Balls.

Beauty and the beast: David Beckham shows Ed Balls how it's done

The MP, who is married to Yvette Cooper, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is a keen football fan and supports Norwich City FC and regularly attends games at Carrow Road.

At the end of 90 uncomfortable minutes for onlookers, his parliamentary side - aided by former England manager Bryan Robson - clinched victory with the final result standing at 5-2.

The wardrobe malfunction evoked memories of sprinter Linford Christie's infamous 'lunchbox' and more recently the furore over Terry Wogan's revealing moleskin trousers on BBC Points of View.

Time out: Mr Balls takes a moment to reflect on his performance