The joke was on comedian Harry Enfield as he received flack for his plans to convert a pub in Primrose Hill into a family home last week.

Meanwhile, nearby, MP David Miliband’s proposal to extend the existing basement of his home and add a roof terrace was met without a whiff of controversy.

The ironic reversal of roles is perhaps a first for each man. Quite out of character for a politician, Mr Miliband, Labour MP for South Shields, has not had to defend his proposals.

But with 20 complaints against plans to convert his pub, Mr Enfield will have to wait and see whether Camden Council grants him permission to transform the former Queens No 1 pub in Edis Street into a £3million, five-bedroom home. He bought the pub a year ago.

Like many residents in the exclusive postcode, Mr Miliband has gone the more familiar route of requesting permission for a basement extension and a garden terrace, which could add tens of thousands of pounds in value to his townhouse, off Chalcot Road.

But Cllr Chris Naylor saw little humour for either in the matter, pointing to the threat such plans pose to the “village feel” of Primrose Hill.

He told Heathman: “People who live here love it for its informal atmosphere, the pretty house, the cafés, pubs, little squares and mixed residents with social housing, as well as large homes and I think everyone who lives here wants to keep it as mixed as possible, which is why we’re always concerned with losing pubs or transforming houses.”