Jeremy Corbyn, Zac Goldsmith, Ken Livingstone: Those Huge Mandates Through The Ages

A Short And Little Bit Rude History Of Massive Political Mandates
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) is presented with a marrow by local independent store 'HiSbe' as he talks with Claire Medhurst of Reborn Digital Marketing and Aadam Patel of Halal Celebrations, during a visit to the Brighton Hatchery, prior to the start of the annual Labour party conference at the Brighton Centre.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) is presented with a marrow by local independent store 'HiSbe' as he talks with Claire Medhurst of Reborn Digital Marketing and Aadam Patel of Halal Celebrations, during a visit to the Brighton Hatchery, prior to the start of the annual Labour party conference at the Brighton Centre.
Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

The joke among some Labour insiders is that Ken Livingstone's chat-up line used to be 'come back to mine...I've got a massive mandate, you know'.

The former Mayor of London twice won the backing of more than half a million Londoners on his way to City Hall in 2000 and 2004.

But it's Jeremy Corbyn who's most been talking of late of his own considerably sized personal endorsement.

The new Labour leader won that 'very large mandate', nearly 60% of party members' votes in his election this year, with 251,000 individuals casting their ballot for him.

Today, Zac Goldsmith secured his own mandate, with a whopping 70% of Tory members' votes.

The fact that just 6,500 people voted for him directly was seized on Labour supporters, who pointed instead to the even bigger, big mandate of Sadiq Khan (48,000 party member voters, or 59%).

But perhaps the final say on all this should go to the original Mandate...the aftershave that spawned some of the cheesiest adverts known to mankind, back in the 1970s and 80s.

First, French 'heart-throb' singer Sasha Distel saying: 'It's alright, she's my wife...'

And dodgiest of all, this infamous 'lean-in' advert with the tag line 'Worn by Men, Loved by Women'.

Surely, it can't be long before @sexyjezzacorbyn mocks up his own 'very large Mandate' advert...?

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