David Cameron Abbey Road
Prime Minister David Cameron recreates the famous Beatles Abbey Road album cover by walking across Abbey Road crossing with Tessa Jowell, former secretary of state for culture, media and sport in London Jeremy Selwyn/ Getty Images

Prime Minister David Cameron was ridiculed on social media after he appeared to try to recreate the iconic cover of The Beatles' Abbey Road, on 21 May.

The photo was taken after the PM, Tessa Jowell, Labour MP and former secretary for culture, media and sport, and Dominic West, the British actor who shot to fame in US police drama The Wire, met with the Creative Industries Federation as representatives of the Remain EU referendum campaign at the Abbey Road Studios.

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"When it comes to creativity, British talent and expertise hasmade this country the envy of the world," said Cameron in a statement after the meeting. "Whether it is music or film, art or video games, the UK leads Europe.

"More than most, this is a sector that thrives on being open to the world outside. Whether it's bringing in talent, filming on location or simply having access to the single market of 500 million people across Europe."

Afterwards, the NME reports, the PM and Jowell walked over the pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road which was immortalised by the Beatles' famous album cover.

Judging from reactions on Twitter, Cameron may have upset a few Beatles fans in the process.

"What a prat. Beatles made that iconic and you just ruined it. Lennon and Harrison will be turning in their graves", tweeted Pat Gow.

Another condemned the Prime Minister, saying: "You are an embarrassment to your office, your party, and your country."

Meanwhile, The Huffington Post inspired fans to use the hashtag '#ToryBeatlesSongs' to come up with alternative names and lyrics to The Beatles' songs, including parodies such as Daniel Audritt's Let It Be Privatised to Andy Gilder's Here Comes The Sun Editorial.

Some tweeters did try to turn Cameron's photo op to the Leave campaign's advantage, but roundly failed. Cliff Dixon – who describes himself as Ukip's representative for Hayes & Harlington in London – said that the European Union had not helped the Beatles to success. He was reminded the EU did not exist when Abbey Road was recorded.

The original cover art depicting the Beatles walking across the zebra crossing is one of the most recognisable and parodied examples of album cover art ever produced. Recently, a rare, photo of the band crossing the street in the other direction fetching £16,000. The zebra crossing itself has become a cultural landmark.

Recently, Google Cardboard revealed a virtual reality tour of the Abbey Road studios, providing users with a virtual tour of the hallowed recording studios and facilities.