Nick Clegg sympathises with Ed Miliband as he tackles a bacon sandwich

Embattled Lib Dem leader manages to look normal as he eats a bacon sandwich live on air

With polls and rumours swirling around Westminster regarding Nick Clegg’s leadership of the Liberal Democrats, the embattled deputy prime minister managed to pass one key test today: eating a bacon sandwich.

On Thursday morning, LBC presenter Nick Ferrari challenged Clegg to eat a bacon butty after Ed Miliband struggled to look normal as he took a bite into the breakfast delicacy last week, leading to much embarrassment and a dreaded meme.

In contrast, Clegg was the model bacon sandwich eater, taking one smooth bite and promptly wiping his mouth. Ferrari commented of Clegg’s devouring: “Now that is how to eat a bacon sandwich”.

However, Clegg was quick to sympathize with Miliband following the negative press coverage of his bacon battle. “I think this is very unfair because I don’t think anyone looks very elegant,” Clegg told Ferrari. “I thought it was a bit unfair on poor Ed Miliband.”

Addressing Ferrari, he added, “I guarantee you, if you were to eat the rest of it and I was to take thousands of pictures while you were doing it, I could manage to produce an unflattering or two (photographs) of you.”

Miliband’s unfortunate “bacongate” photographs last week were part of a series of media gaffes from the opposition leader, such as failing to know how much his family’s weekly shop amounted to despite campaigning on the cost-of-living crisis.

Both Miliband and Clegg have come under fire from some members within their respective parties following disappointing results in the recent local and European elections.