When the Conservatives announced on Saturday that pensions expert Ros Altmann would be going to the House of Lords - and taking up a ministerial post if they were elected - she was unavailable for interview or photo ops with the PM.

The Finchley Synagogue member was out of media action because she keeps Shabbat.

But the party was well-prepared. They arranged for Dr Altmann to travel to Birmingham on Friday, the day after she was invited to accept the post, to meet Mr Cameron and record any footage.

"They said: 'we will pre-record it and tell broadcasters that you cannot appear for interviews in person during Shabbat," she said.