David Cameron and his wife Samantha beamed with joy as they posed outside Downing Street with their ten-day-old daughter yesterday.

Mrs Cameron, who has been avoiding the spotlight since giving birth, looked glowing as she cradled little Florence Rose Endellion in her arms.

The Cornish-born baby was wrapped in a white crocheted blanket sent in by well-wishing grandmother Jane Fraser-Cross for her Downing Street debut.

Asked if she was keeping them up at night, Mrs Cameron, 39, said "yes" but looked fresh-faced for a new mother.

She wore a bright orange tunic over a blue skirt, while her husband looked relaxed in a suit with a white open-necked shirt.

Florence, who already has a crop of dark hair, opened her eyes as if on cue and poked out a tiny pink hand from the blanket. She was kissed repeatedly by her proud father.

Her parents laughed and joked during the brief photocall, which was delayed by more than ten minutes.

A Downing Street spokesman said this was down to "operational reasons". It was not clear if any nappy changing was involved.

The Prime Minister, asked how many nappies he had changed, said: "Hundreds."

Another journalist asked: "Has Nick Clegg changed any nappies yet?", to which he joked: "That's next." The couple have been keeping a low profile since the baby girl arrived weighing 6lb 1oz on August 24 during their holiday in Cornwall.

Mr Cameron was pictured proudly showing off Florence at the weekend but his wife opted to stay out of the shot.

She has been taking her time to recover from the Caesarean birth of her fourth child before going in front of the cameras. Mrs Cameron and her new baby left the Royal Cornwall Hospital three days after the birth but decided to carry on their holiday instead of returning to London. The new arrival was called Florence Rose Endellion, after the Cornish village of St Endellion, to reflect the county of her birth. Residents of the village, which lies a short distance from Daymer Bay, have expressed their pride at lending its name to the premier's child.

Mr Cameron was due back at work this week but is now on paternity leave, leaving Nick Clegg "holding the fort."

The couple's first child, Ivan, was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and died in February last year, aged six.

They have two other children, Nancy, six, and Arthur, four. The couple announced a new baby was on the way just weeks before the start of the General Election campaign.