Moments that raised a smile in the General Election campaign

THIS General Election campaign has thrown up its fair share of “moments” alongside the political debate.

Politicians grappling with their maths.

This election campaign will be remembered for senior politicians coming unstuck on their figures. Jeremy Corbyn went on Woman’s Hour to launch a childcare policy without knowing how much it would cost, while Chancellor Philip Hammond underestimated the cost of HS2 by £20bn. But the campaign’s major miscalculation came from Diane Abbott, who during a car-crash interview with LBC said Labour’s plan to hire 10,000 extra police officers would cost anywhere between £300,000 and £80m. Ms Abbott has since stepped down from shadow home secretary duties due to illhealth. Smell my spaniel. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron came up with arguably the campaign’s catchphrase when out meeting voters in Cambridge. A video clip captured Mr Farron telling one voter to “smell my spaniel, maybe” as he fussed over their dog. The Lib Dem leader’s pet dog, Jasper, makes regular appearances on social media, and Mr Farron later tweeted another picture of Jasper, saying: “He wants you to know that his family are standing by him at this difficult time.” Mutton-headed old mugwump. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s description of Mr Corbyn will go down as his most colourful language in this campaign. Lib Dem leader Mr Farron gave Mr Johnson a run for his money on the quips front, though, as he criticised Theresa May for not attending a televised BBC debate. “The Prime Minister isn’t here – she can’t be bothered,” Mr Farron said at the close of the debate. “So why should you? In fact, Bake Off is on BBC2 next. Why not make a brew? You’re not worth Theresa May’s time – don’t give her yours.” Paul Nuttall and “Natalie”. The Ukip leader called Leanne Wood “Natalie” twice in 20 minutes during a leaders’ debate on ITV. Social media speculated that Mr Nuttall was confusing the Plaid leader with Natalie Bennett, the Green Party’s former leader, or Hollywood actress Natalie Wood. Mr Nuttall later explained: “Even during prep that day, I kept calling her ‘Natalie’. Everyone was saying to me: ‘Her name is Leanne’ and I went on to the platform saying: ‘Leanne, Leanne, Leanne’, and it just came out wrong.”

Ban the burka to get more vitamin D.

Among Ukip’s most controversial policies was to ban the burka and other face coverings in public places. The party said such a move would help integration by allowing better communication, while face coverings also meant people could not be identified on CCTV. But Ukip also backed the policy by saying such garments “prevent intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight”. Theresa May eating chips. The Prime Minister had what was dubbed an “Ed Miliband moment” while out campaigning in Cornwall. Photos of Mrs May eating chips captured an array of awkward facial expressions as the Prime Minister munched, evoking memories of Mr Miliband eating a bacon sandwich in the run-up to the 2015 election. Ed Miliband mows the lawn. The former Labour leader had a much more low-key campaign this time around, as he went back to campaigning in his constituency rather than attempting to lead his party into Downing Street. Mr Miliband was filmed calling numbers at a bingo night in Doncaster, while the moment he stepped in to mow a constituent’s lawn was captured on Twitter. This good deed appeared to pay dividends – a visit to the same house later appeared to confirm they were voting Labour. Jeremy Corbyn’s cat is a socialist. Mr Corbyn has stepped into the spotlight in this campaign, facing bruising questions about his stance on security and terrorism. However, Mr Corbyn’s cat, El Gato, has also come into focus, with questions over how it would fit in among the other felines in Downing Street. Mr Corbyn revealed El Gato would have no problems because of his “socialist tendencies”, having already made friends with a stray cat that visits the Labour leader’s home.