David Cameron ignored one of the first rules of public speaking while addressing a crowd of students in Dubai on Monday - forgetting to switch off his mobile phone.
Sensing that his blackberry was making a noise, possibly causing feedback on his microphone, the prime minister decided to fish it out of his pocket and throw it to the British ambassador sat nearby.
"Oh dear," Cameron exclaimed as his envoy to Dubai fumbled the handset. "Our ambassador doesn't play cricket obviously".