Movers and shakers: What happened to Cameron’s 2010 Cabinet

The first Coalition Cabinet posing in the garden of No 10 in May 2010. Some remain in place, some have moved jobs and some have disappeared as another election looms (Getty Images)

1. Chief Whip

Patrick McLoughlin (2010-12); Andrew Mitchell (Sept-Oct 2012); Sir George Young (2012-14); Michael Gove (2014-)
The job usually involves imposing disciple, but Gove’s job will include selling the Tories to the voters.

2. Home Secretary

Theresa May (2010-)
Tough, having survived an open feud with Gove. Still a contender for the leadership.

3. Universities and Science Minister

David Willetts (2010-14); Greg Clark (2014-)
Academics liked Willetts though the reforms he oversaw were unpopular. A hard act to follow.

4. Cabinet Office Minister, for Policy

Oliver Letwin (2010-)
A job created for the cerebral Mr Letwin.

5. Business Secretary

Vince Cable (2010-)
Much criticised over the cut-price sale of Royal Mail – but it is for Nick Clegg to decide whether to sack him.

6. Paymaster General

Francis Maude (2010-)
Maude’s main task has been civil service reform. Many civil servants would like to see the back of him, but he is still there.

7. Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government

Eric Pickles (2010-)
Pickles has upset a lot of councillors and it was thought he might be sacked, but he remains.

8. Leader of the Lords

Lord Strathclyde (2010-13); Lord Hill (2013-14); Baroness Stowell (2014-)
Baroness Stowell is not a full member of Cabinet, unlike her predecessors.

9. Health Secretary

Andrew Lansley (2010-12); Jeremy Hunt (2012-)
After Lansley’s frenetic and ill-judged NHS reforms, Hunt’s job is to keep the NHS out of the news.

10. Leader of the Commons

Sir George Young (2010-12); Andrew Lansley (2012-14); William Hague (2014-)
Organising Commons business will not take much time – Hague’s real job will be promoting the Tories.

11. Education Secretary

Michael Gove (2010-14); Nicky Morgan (2014-)
Morgan’s task will be to keep education out of the news in order not to put teachers off voting Conservative.

12. International Development Secretary

Andrew Mitchell (2010-2012); Justine Greening (2012-)
Cameron would not like you to think the Conservatives do not care about the Third World, so Greening is left to dispense a big budget.

13. Transport Secretary

Philip Hammond (2010-12); Patrick McLoughlin (2012-)
HS2 was sorted before McLoughlin arrived, and Heathrow expansion is being left until after the election.

14. Energy Secretary

Chris Huhne (2010-12); Ed Davey (2012-)
A good job for a Liberal Democrat with an ambition to replace Nick Clegg – provided he drives with care.

15. Culture Secretary

Jeremy Hunt (2010-12); Maria Miller (2012-14); Sajid Javid (2014-)
A small department but with hugely sensitive issues like press regulation. Javid has so far avoided controversy

16. Northern Ireland Secretary

Owen Paterson (2010-12); Theresa Villiers (2012-)
Northern Ireland’s home-grown politicians decide how difficult this job is – for now it is relatively problem free.

17. Scottish Secretary

Danny Alexander (2010); Michael Moore (2010-13); Alistair Carmichael (2013-)
His main – and only –task is to keep Scotland in the UK.

18. Attorney General

Dominic Grieve (2010-14); Jeremy Wright (2014-)
If the intention is to renounce European Human Rights legislation, sacking Grieve was a necessary first step.

19. Cabinet Secretary

Sir Gus O’Donnell (2005-11) Sir Jeremy Haywood (2012-)
The Cabinet Secretary makes sure the Whitehall machine carries on as normal.

20. Work and Pensions Secretary

Iain Duncan Smith (2010-)
Still there so he can clear up his own mess.

21. Defence Secretary

Liam Fox (2010-11); Philip Hammond (2011-14); Michael Fallon (2014-)
A well-timed announcement of extra money for defence should make Fallon’s job easy.

22. Chancellor of the Exchequer

George Osborne (2010-)
With the economy beginning to improve, Osborne still has his eyes on being the next Conservative Prime Minister

23. Foreign Secretary

William Hague (2010-14); Philip Hammond (2014-)
Hague’s successor will have to knuckle down to sorting relations with Europe.

24. Prime Minister

David Cameron

25. Deputy Prime Minister

Nick Clegg

26. Conservative Chairman

Baroness Warsi (2010-12); Grant Shapps (2012-)
Shapps has belied predictions that he would be sacked, but with Hague and Gove now available, he will not be in sole charge of the campaign.

27. Welsh Secretary

Cheryl Gillan (2010-12); David Jones (2012-14); Stephen Crabbe (2014-)
A non-job since devolution.

28. Environment Secretary

Caroline Spelman (2010-12); Owen Paterson (2011-14); Liz Truss (2014-)
Both predecessors were sacked. She must get flood defences in place and think twice about the badger cull.

29. Justice Secretary

Kenneth Clarke (2010- 12); Chris Grayling (2012-)
Grayling is in conflict with judges over legal aid and with Europe over human rights law, which pleases the right.

30. Chief Secretary to the Treasury

David Laws (May 2010); Danny Alexander (2010-)
Until recently, Alexander’s main task was smoothing over relations between Coalition partners.