Midland MP Sajid Javid has revealed he was congratulated on becoming mayor of London, in a case of mistaken identity.
The Conservative politician has enjoyed a successful career at a senior level of government, serving as Culture Secretary, Business Secretary and now as Local Government Secretary.
But in a speech praising Birmingham's spectacular transformation since the 1980s, he said he was confused with Labour politician Sadiq Kahn.
Speaking to Birmingham's Asian Business Chamber of Commerce, Mr Javid (Con Bromsgrove) said: "It’s been a few months now since I became Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
"I was out a few weeks ago and a man, a white guy, came up to me and said, 'congratulations on the new job! I really need to have a meeting with you. I’ve got lots of big ideas to talk about, I want to discuss with you...'
"So I was nice and polite and told him how to get in touch and thanked him for his support.
"And as he heads off he turns round and says: 'Great to meet you, Sadiq! Thanks for kicking those Tories out of London!'."
Mr Javid joked: "I’ve no idea who he was. White people, they all look the same, don’t they?
"Oh well.
"As Sadiq Khan himself has said, you wait ages for the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver to turn up in British politics, then two come along at once."
Mr Javid said Birmingham was "unrecognisable from the city I first visited back in the 1980s".
He said: "For many years – for too many years – Birmingham and the West Midlands were the punch line of too many bad jokes.
"It was a place people laughed at, sometimes they sneered at.
"Not anymore."
The MP added: "Our second city is second to none.
"The rebuilt Bullring, the glittering library and the new-look New Street are the jewels in the crown.
"But they’re by no means the end of the story. There’s already the Thinktank, the theatres, and one of the world’s busiest concert venues.
"The tram extension is creeping across the city.
"HS2 will connect Birmingham to the rest of the country.
"And the International Airport is connecting Birmingham to ever-more far-flung places across the world.
"On the way in this evening I saw a skyline of cranes, a sure sign of a city on the up."
The MP also revealed the real reason his mum is proud of him.
He said his brother Bas, who previously served in the Royal Navy, had just been promoted to Chief Superintendent with West Midlands Police .
But Mr Javid (Con Bromsgrove) said: "Bas, I have to tell you, Mum still thinks I’m the successful one.
"It’s not because I’m in the Cabinet or a Privy Councillor or anything like that.
"It’s because, when I was Secretary of State for Culture, I got my photo taken with Deirdre from Coronation Street.
"That’s something she can really boast about to her friends!"
