John and Barbara Mansfield will battle it out for the Cricket Green ward.
The battle of the sexes has reached new heights, as a husband and wife go head-to-head in the Mitcham local elections next month.
The launch of the Mitcham Independent Party pits husband John Mansfield, 66, against his wife Barbara, 67, standing for the Conservative party, in the race for votes in the Cricket Green ward.
Despite the obvious strains an election may put on a couple, Mrs Mansfield dismissed the assumption that it will impact their marriage.
She said: “I have been with him for 50 years this year, so this really doesn’t matter.
“We have dealt with all sorts of things in our married life, so this is not a problem.”
The Mitcham Independent Party wants to fight for Mitcham’s people and Mr Mansfield is confident of his new party’s chances.
He said: “I think we’ve got really good chance.
“I do feel that we need an independent party. There’s one in Morden, and they do quite well so I felt we should have one to nibble at the major parties.”
Mr Mansfield wanted to make the differences between his and his wife’s positions clear.
He said: “She’s standing with a major party isn’t she? So she’s toeing the party line.
“We want to be a people’s party. We want to be Citizen Smith without the communist bit.”
Mrs Mansfield stood in the last two elections and won over a thousand votes last time out.
She joked that her husband might steal some of her votes.
He replied that he planned to steal them all.
In the UK the average marriage is expected to last for 32 years and only 16% of marriages reach the sixtieth anniversary.
Mitcham’s political pairing have been married for almost half a century (see below left on their wedding day), have two children, four grandchildren and have lived in Mitcham for 45 years.
Marriage councillor Siobhan O’Toole believes competition within a marriage can be healthy.
She said: “They would have to have a strong, robust relationship. It is an unusual situation but it can work: look at Sally and John Bercow.
“It suggests they’re a very strong couple and probably have a lot to talk about over the dinner table.”
Mr Mansfield established the Mitcham Independent Party alongside activist Alan Hutchings and businessman Stuart Morrison.
The party will launch its manifesto on May 6 at Mitcham Parish Church on Church Road from 7.30pm to 9pm.
This would not be the first time that spouses have squared up in local elections.
The US has seen several husband vs. wife matchups in the past, with Maine’s David and Jennifer Johnson squaring up in November last year.
The couple both decided to run when they found out no-one else had decided to run for warden of Waterville for either the Republicans or Democrats.
Girl power prevailed on this occasion, as Mrs Johnson won comfortably.
The elections will be held on Thursday, May 22.
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