Kilroy delivers Marmite smacker

Robert Kilroy-Silk: reporter's mate

Robert Kilroy-Silk broke with convention by kissing a male reporter - and not a baby - on the campaign trail.

Burton Mail journalist Tom Sloan, 25, said he got a smacker as the Veritas Party leader toured the Staffordshire brewing town on Thursday.

He said the politician kissed him after taking a bite from a gift of a sandwich made with local product Marmite.

Mr Sloan said: "He was so touched he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best."

"He arrived to give a hand to the local Veritas candidate," the reporter said.

It was quite a moving moment Tom Sloan

"We thought we'd give him some Marmite sandwiches and a crate of Carling lager - two of the town's best-known products.

"He took a big bite of a sandwich and seemed quite moved by it, quite touched.

"He was so touched he gave me a kiss on the cheek. It was quite a moving moment."

Dancing in the streets

Mr Sloan said Mr Kilroy-Silk did not drink any of the lager, but seemed well enough sustained by his sandwich snack to make a good impression with locals during a tour of the town.

"He's obviously a smooth character with great people skills," Mr Sloan said.

"People in the town really warmed to him. He was dancing with a worker at a shoe shop at one stage.

"Obviously he's a very well-known celebrity from his time on TV. I think it went very well for him."