Following the death of city mayor Lemmy Longclaw last month, Stoke moved quickly to elect a new one - and voted in a badger!
Of course, this is Stoke, and as such, it isn't as ridiculous as it may seem as Stoke has had a badger for mayor since 1974, and the role is largely ceremonial with no real power attached.
The tradition comes from Stoke's war of independence when the city declared itself a republic and tried to break free from the UK. At the end of the war, when British tanks broke through Stoke's defences and pushed into Hanley, marking Stoke's defeat and the war's end, a lone badger stood in defiance of the British army, staring down the enemy and refusing to budge.
That badger, Lil Jimmy, was found guilty of treason and sent to Gibraltar to live in exile, but his stand became legendary and led to the city creating the role of mayor purely to vote a badger into office to honour his memory.
Stoke newest mayor is called Truffles and will start his new role tomorrow.
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