To be honest, we misheard the news and thought David Cameron was working for Uber and thought he had finally found work as a driver, but it turns out that having made a pig's ear of running the UK and creating a mess with an ill advised referendum on the EU.

What happened though is the outfit appointed Adam Atashzai as its head of policy for northern Europe, which includes the UK and countries in the Nordics and Benelux. His role will include engaging with governments as well as academics and charities, the spokesman said. Atashzai declined to comment.

Atashzai is currently a partner at Finsbury, a public relations firm owned by WPP, and was previously deputy political director to Cameron. He left politics following Cameron’s resignation in the wake of the June 2016 EU referendum and joined Finsbury later that year.

Last September, Transport for London refused to renew Uber’s licence, citing failings in the company’s approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to driver background checks.

However, the licence is far shorter than the five-year licence Uber was denied last year and is subject to strict conditions. Dara Khosrowshahi was appointed as Uber’s chief executive in August last year, facing the task of repairing the firm’s relationships with investors and revamping its image after a series of controversies, including clampdowns by regulators around the world.

The ride-hailing app company, founded in 2009, has grown quickly to operate in more than 600 cities and has a track record of turning to former officials to help it navigate transport regulations as they develop.