[Herr]

David Cameron left daughter in pub
David and Samantha Cameron left their eight-year-old daughter alone in a pub as they travelled home from Sunday lunch with friends, it emerged last night.

The Prime Minister, his wife and three children had enjoyed an afternoon meal with two other families at The Plough in Cadsden, Bucks, when they took their eye off their eldest daughter Nancy.

When the family gathered their things and left Mr Cameron shared a car with his bodyguards while Samantha followed behind with son Elwen, six, and daughter Florence, 22 months.

The Prime Minister thought Nancy was in the car with his wife, while Samantha thought she had jumped in with her father. It was only when both cars pulled up to Chequers, two miles away, that they realised she was not there.

A Downing Street source said the "distraught" parents rushed inside and telephoned the pub, where staff reassured them that their daughter had been found alone in the lavatory and was being looked after.

The staff knew who the girl was but had been unable to contact her parents because, as one pub insider put it: “It’s not like you can look up David Cameron in the phone book and then ring to say, ‘You’ve left your daughter behind’."

“You’d have thought someone would have done a headcount or something," the insider told The Sun. "Pub staff found their daughter in the toilet and didn’t know what to do.

“It’s frightening the Prime Minister of Britain can forget something so important as his own daughter.”

Mr Cameron jumped straight in the car and rushed back to collect his daughter, arriving at the pub about 15 minutes after the family had originally left.

Upon his arrival he was relieved to find Nancy contentedly helping out the staff, according to reports. Downing Street confirmed the incident had happened after a Sunday lunch but the exact date was not known.

Mr Cameron's friends have recently told how he likes to "chillax" at his country retreat during weekends, sometimes enjoying three or four glasses of wine with lunch.

He also unwinds by watching films on television and is partial to an afternoon nap, it was claimed.

The Plough is described on its website as "a traditional old English pub with a warm welcome" and "the perfect stop off point to enjoy a quiet drink, good quality food and a friendly atmosphere, all in stunning surroundings".

It serves "home cooked hearty food" using locally sourced ingredients and boasts a beer garden situated in an "area of outstanding natural beauty", it claims.

What kind of father is this that would leave your own kid behind??

I sure hope this isn't representative of his services as a PM.

[Beebumble]

Well they will keep spending tax payers money at the pub instead of working and popping out too many children.

Or can you only say that about the working classes?


Dear Dave fans the above comment was a joke. I thought the and the made it clear but obviously your devil worshiping means you've lost your inability to not take everything seriously.

[Martyn*]

"As long as they keep spending...."

[JCC-MGS]

It happens. What would you know about being a father? Kids aren't like your car keys, they often act completely independently of you, take any opportunity to go wandering off and need only a couple of seconds to get completely lost. Couple that with being in a family going home in two separate cars and surrounded by bodyguards and suddenly you see that it's an honest mistake rather than criminal negligence. No wonder politics is in such a sad state when this is news

[QI Elf]

TBH you don't realise how common this thing is. Parents accidently leave their kids behind sometimes. It happens. Listening to the story on radio 4 this morning, listeners had called in with their own stories of the time they left their children behind.

[rock.and.rose]

I like this from the BBC News website article on this story:

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles - who is promoting a scheme to give English councils a financial incentive to deal with so-called "troubled families" - was asked on BBC Radio 5 live if he drew parallels between troubled families and parents who inadvertently left their children in a pub.

"We're definitely not talking about that - mainly for my job security," he replied.

I know that this kind of thing is easily done, didn't Victoria Beckham recently leave for the school run, and realise she'd left Brooklyn at home?!

My parents almost left me behind in a supermarket once, although admittedly there isn't a security issue with someone like me being left behind!

[meenu89]

I think this was a mistake, even the best parents make them. My mum did this with me once in our local supermarket.

[ckingalt]

It would be nice if we judged our politicians according to their sincerity, strength of character, and competency instead of exploiting every blunder they make it their personal lives. The only reasonable motive for doing so is that we dislike their politics. So what do we get for our leaders? We get insincere, weak of character, and incompetent idiots who offer us nothing but the spit and polish we demand. We get what we deserve.

[Good bloke]

(Original post by Herr)
What kind of father is this that would leave your own kid behind?

He is a typical normally-diligent father who makes the occasional mistake and has the odd misunderstanding with his wife that affects his children. These things happen. Usually the consequences are trivial (as in this case) but occasionally they can be catastrophic. That is life.

Feel free to come back and report your own completely incident-free parenting in, say, thirty years time.

[Bellissima]

as much as i dislike cameron... seriously this is a bit pathetic. everyone makes mistakes like this, i was lost (accidently, i promise!) quite a few times when i was young. it's not like he forgot about her, he just thought she was with his wife and vice versa. kids go wandering off, it does happen. honest mistake. i'm sure they were worried sick.

i'm quite sure he's as good a father as any, especially after what happened to his poor son.

[united.spammers]

I'd normally be the first to criticise Cameron but this was obviously just a mix up. I'm sure it happens to most parents at some point or another.

[tsveta]

David C made a mistake and now everyone is attacking him crazily for it. As Boris said above, lots of parents do it. Leave him alone, judge him on how well he does his job, not his parenting.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Herr)
What kind of father is this that would leave your own kid behind??

I sure hope this isn't representative of his services as a PM.

"The Prime Minister thought Nancy was in the car with his wife, while Samantha thought she had jumped in with her father. It was only when both cars pulled up to Chequers, two miles away, that they realised she was not there. A Downing Street source said the "distraught" parents rushed inside and telephoned the pub."

</thread>

[lothiriel]

Oh, come on! This happens. It doesn't speak of his ability as a politician. My parents forgot me at a petrol station once when I was twelve.

[roodootoo]

Oh my gosh. He made a mistake. Get over it.

My parents once forgot me on holiday and went to the beach (20 miles away) without me. I was 12. When they did ring me at the hotel, it was to tell me that they were not coming back to get because they couldn't be bothered.

[Beebumble]

http://newsthump.com/2012/06/11/nanc...d-for-freedom/

[lucaf]

I am pretty sure every parent does that at some point. are we really supposed to be shocked that our prime minister is human? this has no bearing on his ability to do his job

[rlw31]

(Original post by Beebumble)
http://newsthump.com/2012/06/11/nanc...d-for-freedom/

[Pawsies]

The more important point- Nancy? Florence? What kind of a father names their children those?

[buildalegohouse]

I read this morning, and I really can't see why this makes news.
Okay, if some normal guy did it, people would just shrug and get on with thier lives.
I am in no way defending that rat, but if the PM does it, whoooaaaa, its another story.
Things like this happen. They shouldn't, but they do.