It was impossible to tell whether his fellow Tube passenger would be delighted or annoyed to see him – but David Cameron must have been confident that she’d at least know who he was. The Prime Minister, travelling on the London Underground to an appointment because it was quicker than going by car, tried to make a good impression with commuters by complimenting a young mother on her baby. But the conversation stalled somewhat when the baffled woman had to ask her husband who the strange man was inquiring about their child.

Sanyogita Mayer, 27, was travelling with her husband Yanko, 31, and their three-month-old daughter Sayama when Mr Cameron approached them. Mrs Mayer, who recently moved to Westminster from India, said: ‘We were on our way to go shopping. This man got on at Westminster and came past me and said: “Is it your baby?”

‘I said “yes”, and he said: “Your baby is really beautiful.”

‘I thanked him for saying that and he moved away but stood near me. I asked my husband: “Who is this man complimenting my baby?”

‘When he told me it was the Prime Minister I told him to stop joking with me. But my husband insisted so I went up to Mr Cameron and I said: “Excuse me, are you the Prime Minister?”

‘He said “yes” and I started laughing. Then I apologised for having to ask him the question.’ Mrs Mayer, who has featured in eight Bollywood films, told Mr Cameron that politicians in her native India would never travel by public transport. ‘He told me he had a very busy schedule and it was quicker for him to travel by train than go by road,’ she added. Mr Cameron, who was accompanied by a (just one) bodyguard as he traveled on the Jubilee line, responded by striking up a conversation about her home country.

He told her that he had used the train in Delhi, visited Mumbai and once received a signed cricket ball from Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Mrs Mayer, who said she felt ‘compelled’ to take a photo of the meeting, added: ‘I was so surprised that a man like him would travel on the Tube and I was very struck by how down to earth he seemed.’ Mr Cameron can at least comfort himself with the fact that he is not the first prime minister to have been overlooked on the Tube.

When Tony Blair tried to strike up a conversation with Georgina Leketi-Solomon in 1999, she ignored him – and the embarrassing episode was caught on camera by the press. Following the ‘misunderstanding’, Miss Leketi-Solomon was invited to Number 10 for a chat and a tour. By contrast, singer Rihanna caused a stir when she was spotted travelling on the Underground last week. She was seen taking the Jubilee line to her concert at the O2 Arena, much to the shock of fans, who posted photographs on Twitter and Facebook.

Flanked by security guards, Rihanna then left the station and jumped into a waiting car which drove her just 100 yards to the backstage area of the venue.

THE THUG CHOOR  & CORRUPT NAWAZ SHARIF’S POMP & SHOW