A photograph of Ed Miliband, then the leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, eating a bacon sandwich became a source of sustained commentary and the subject of an internet meme in 2014 and 2015.

It was accompanied by a story by political editor Joe Murphy, "Ed Miliband's battle with a bacon sandwich as he buys flowers for his wife at London market".

Mr Miliband’s battle to consume the greasy treat alarmed his media minders, who tried to stop photographers taking close-ups of butter oozing between his teeth.

[3] According to the tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror writing two days after the event, the photograph of Miliband "struggling" to eat the bacon sandwich had immediately generated mockery and claimed it had made him "look a fool".

[4] In the ensuing week it became an Internet meme, with online users transposing it onto well-known images from history and popular culture, such as the Last Supper and When Harry Met Sally..., under the hashtag #EdEats.

[6]The Independent wrote on 21 May 2014 that "despite extensive stage-managing and with a seemingly simple task at hand, the Labour leader still struggled in his bid to look normal and back in touch with the general public", linking it to slip-ups which he had made in recent interviews.

If you want a politician who thinks that a good photo is the most important thing, then don't vote for me.In October 2014, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage made headlines for eating a bacon sandwich while campaigning before the Heywood and Middleton by-election.

Although members of the public deemed him "posh" for doing this, The Independent offered the alternative suggestion that Cameron's campaign team were aiming for him to avoid looking like Miliband, which "may have been stage managed one step too far".

It sparked another Twitter trend in a show of support for the Labour leader, with users sharing photos of themselves eating bacon sandwiches and other food in a deliberately messy fashion, with the hashtag #JeSuisEd, in reference to Je Suis Charlie.