But Christian’s isn’t the first caricature Mr Cameron has objected to. Simon Hoggart, the late parliamentary sketch writer, used to tell the story of the time the Prime Minister accosted Steve Bell, Guardian political cartoonist. He grabbed Mr Bell’s forearm (a bold move even for a Prime Minister, given that Mr Bell is about seven foot tall and built like a brown bear) and asked him, with a veneer of unconvincing mateyness, whether the time had come to stop drawing him with a condom stretched over his head. Because, terribly clever as the idea was (highlighting the eerie sheen of Mr Cameron’s skin), the joke had surely had its day by now. “After all,” said the Prime Minister – and Simon swore these were his exact words – “You can only push the condom so far.” Unfortunately Mr Cameron’s renegotiation strategy did not pay off, because Mr Bell continues to draw him with a condom on his head to this day.