Canadian embassies around the world have been told to stop using cardboard cutouts of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau, who was elected in November 2015, has been hailed by liberals around the world as an antidote to Donald Trump and people have been taking selfies with the cutout at events.

The 45-year-old's youthful good looks have also made him a big hit with the ladies.

This group selfie was posted recently on Twitter, showing visitors appearing with a cardboard cutout of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at South by Southwest arts festival in Austin, Texas

Trudeau cutouts have been cropping all over the place but now Canadian embassies have been told not to use them in future

A Trudeau cutout appeared at a Canada Day event in July last year at their embassy in Washington and last week another one cropped up at a Canadian tourism booth at the South by Southwest arts festival in Austin, Texas.

But after researchers from the opposition Conservative party called foul and highlighted the issue with the Canadian media, Global Affairs Canada ordered an end to the practice.

CBC reported that department spokesman Michael O'Shaughnessy said in an email to embassies: 'We are aware of instances where our missions in the United States had decided to purchase and use these cutouts.

'The missions have been asked to no longer use these for their events.'

Two women are photographed with the Trudeau cutout at the Canadian Embassy in Washington but it appears to be something diplomats now regret

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured) is considered one of the most handsome politicians on the planet and his cardboard cutouts at global events have proved very popular

Even President Trump's daughter Ivanka seems to have fallen for Justin Trudeau's charms. She listened intently as he talked about the empowerment of women during an event in Washington last month

Ivanka posted a picture of herself flanked by her father and Trudeau sitting behind theOval Office desk

Ian Capstick, a media consultant in Ottawa, told the New York Times: 'The prime minister's office is incredibly aware of the power of his celebrity and want nothing to affect that.

'By having countless cutouts out there the government really starts to lose control of that image.'

Trudeau, a Liberal, replaced Stephen Harper as Canadian prime minister 18 months ago and the Conservatives have claimed there is a growing personality cult which was undermining the country's image.

The real thing: Conservative critics said the cutout (right) was the perfect metaphor for everything Justin Trudeau (left) represented: 'You've got the shallow facade, and yet there's very little in the way of depth or substance there'

Conservative researchers discovered the Canadian embassy had paid $147.79 to order a Trudeau cutout from an online firm in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

They also unearthed emails from Canadian diplomats who thought the cutout would be a 'hoot' which would create 'some serious selfie action'.

Some embassy staff in Washington had reservations and felt the cutout 'doesn't seem very prime ministerial' but the green light was given after the US embassy in Ottawa used a Barack Obama cutout at an event.

Conservative party spokesman John Brassard said the 'Canadian brand is much more than the prime minister'.

He told CBC: 'A life-size, two-dimensional cutout is probably a perfect metaphor for everything that Justin Trudeau represents.

'You've got the shallow facade, and yet there's very little in the way of depth or substance there.'

Trudeau's office has not commented on the row.

The last Canadian prime minister to have a global profile as high as Trudeau was his late father Pierre, who led the country - apart from a brief gap - between 1968 and 1984.