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Tim Farron told someone to 'smell my spaniel' and it's become the phrase of the GE2017 campaign

Today’s been a big day for bizarre sayings in politics.
Today’s been a big day for bizarre sayings in politics. Today’s been a big day for bizarre sayings in politics.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has confused and delighted the internet by offering one lucky local the chance to “smell my spaniel”.

Farron’s bizarre comment was made to a Lib Dem activist who brought along his dog to hear the party leader speak in Cambridge at a campaign event.

Video circulating on social media shows Farron approaching the dog – which was naturally wearing a yellow Liberal Democrat rosette – and say: “Smell my spaniel.”

And it’s really tickled Twitter.

People think it sounds like a line straight out of the mouth of Alan Partridge.

Farron’s spaniel Jasper often features on his Twitter account, with many pictures of the pair – which Farron has coined “Mad dog and Englishman” – going fell-running together.

The full context of the comment isn’t exactly clear – it’s thought Farron may have been suggesting that the campaigner’s dog could smell Jasper’s scent on his clothes – but no one’s really that bothered.

It’s been quite a day for words in the world of politics, with Boris Johnson calling Jeremy Corbyn a “mutton-headed old mugwump” and now Farron coming out with this. Whoever said politics wasn’t interesting?