David Cameron has long since dropped his “hug a hoodie” approach to yob behaviour, but it now seems he has turned his get-up-close approach to animal (or at least bird) welfare.

Confronted by a man-sized chicken, who or which has been following him around on behalf of an anti-Tory newspaper, the Conservative leader decided to give the birdie a hug. He removed the chicken’s head and attempted to engage the thing in conversation.

This all took place in the Staffordshire town of Tamworth, a Labour marginal, but he might have done well to cross the boundary into the South Shropshire Tory marginal of Ludlow where there were plenty of animals on display yesterday at Bridgnorth Livestock Market. Successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle of tuberculosis in cattle, which farmers are convinced is caused by badger infection.

Animal welfare groups have effectively stopped ministers from ordering a meaningful cull, but what about the welfare of bovine animals, the farming community cries. Badgers may provide great viewing on Springwatch, but try telling a livestock farmer that they are more important than his prize Limousin bull. And it’s not just cattle which can catch TB from badgers. One of our cats died from TB, almost certainly, said the vet, as a result of a badger squabble.

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Tough questioning from young listeners to Radio One, who wanted to know why Gordon Brown had spent thousands of pounds on cleaning his second home.

The Prime Minister tried to explain that he had to live in two places, that he had a working wife and two children, and that he was paying his cleaner more than the minimum wage.

“I feel my crime was to pay a decent wage to my cleaner, because nobody was saying you can’t claim for cleaning your house,” he said.

Mr Brown just couldn’t see the point, put to him repeatedly by his persistent interviewer, Tulip Mazumdar, that many people couldn’t see why taxpayers were paying for his cleaning in the first place.

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Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrats’ ace in the pack until Nick Clegg’s emergence from his shadow in last week’s TV debate finally broke his uncharacteristic silence yesterday. Mr Cable, who basks under the reputation of being one of the very few to forecast the banking crash, was shaking his head at the possible post-election scenario whereby Gordon Brown could end up in third place in the popular vote yet have more Commons seats than the Tories or Lib Dems, enabling him to stay at No 10 running a minority government.

“The whole system would be completely and utterly discredited if such an absurd outcome were to happen,” said Mr Cable.

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Fascinating to watch at first hand a real pro, Eric Smith, tackling Telford and Ludlow election candidates over the last couple of days on BBC Radio Shropshire. Listen in at 6pm over the next three days to the would-be MPs from Shrewsbury and Atcham, North Shropshire and The Wrekin.