‘Distraught’ Cameron accidentally leaves daughter, 8, at the pub

The couple’s daughter Nancy wandered off to the toilets while they were arranging lifts and they only realised she was not with them when they got home, The Sun said.

Mr Cameron rushed back to the Plough Inn in Cadsden, Bucks, where he found his daughter with staff.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister and Samantha were distraught when they realised Nancy wasn’t with them.

“Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well.

“The Prime Minister went down straight away to get her.”

The Camerons were at the Plough Inn - near the Prime Minister’s country retreat Chequers - with Nancy and their other children Arthur, six, and 22-month-old Florence, as well as two other families.

When Mr Cameron left the pub he went home in one car with his bodyguards and thought Nancy was with his wife and their other children in another car.

Mrs Cameron had assumed her eldest daughter was with her father.

The mistake was only discovered when they got home.

Mr Cameron drove back to the pub and found Nancy helping staff. She was away from her parents for about 15 minutes.

Downing Street said the incident happened “a couple of months ago”.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said the Camerons take full responsibility for looking after their children and were not blaming security officers for failing to ensure that Nancy was with the party before returning to Chequers.

“They are their children and they take responsibility for them,” said the spokeswoman.

“No-one is going to face disciplinary action. This was an error.”

She added: “The Prime Minister was distraught when he realised he had left his daughter in the pub and reassured when he phoned the pub. She was fine and he immediately went to collect her.”

The spokeswoman declined to discuss whether Mr Cameron had drunk alcohol with his meal.

“He had gone with friends at lunchtime, with a number of families with children, and they left in various different vehicles,” she said.

“As you know, the Prime Minister is a very busy man but he always tries to live as normal a life as possible with his family.”

Asked how often this involved a visit to the pub, she replied: “Occasionally.”

The spokeswoman declined to discuss the security arrangements around Mr Cameron and his family but said they were always kept under review.