Minister in 'sack Cameron' photo opportunity blunder

Conservative minister Matthew Hancock is the latest politician to fall foul of the golden rule of the photo opportunity - always look behind you.

The skills minister was snapped at London's South Bank skate park for a piece in Total Politics magazine.

What he did not realise as he beamed for the camera is that a graffiti artist had sprayed "sack Cameron!" on a pillar behind him.

Total Politics editor Sam Macrory insists the picture was not staged.

"Our photographer is mortified. He hadn't spotted the graffiti at all. This is an honest mistake," said Mr Macrory.

But that has not stopped Twitter users having some fun at the expense of Mr Hancock, who was taking part in an event to rebrand the Barclays' cycle hire scheme, known in London as Boris Bikes.

It comes a day after Tory MP Nadine Dorries sparked sniggers on Twitter after posing for a picture at an aerospace factory in her Bedfordshire constituency.

The MP was visiting Hybrid Air Vehicles with defence procurement minister Philip Dunne.

If these pictures fall into the innocent mistake category others, such as this 2009 picture of Gordon Brown at a London primary school, suggest a more devious photographic mind at work.

Another gift for the caption writers came in 2012, with this picture of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in a supermarket with a "porky pie".

And finally, if all else fails, there is always the exit sign - such as this picture of John Major during his ill-fated 1997 general election campaign.