Now Lib Dems are gone

Tory government would be considerably less likely to follow the path the Lib Dems had attempted to push it along in coalition.

Mr Cameron also appointed veteran MP Oliver Letwin to the cabinet. He will be in overall charge of the Cabinet Office as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. During the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Mr Letwin, who is the son of American Jewish academics, held a series of leading shadow frontbench roles.

Grant Shapps, who was party chairman and had played a key role in coordinating election strategy, was demoted to a middle-ranking ministerial position at the Department for International Development.

The move followed embarrassment for Mr Shapps after allegations that he edited details about himself and political rivals on the Wikipedia website. He hadrejectedtheclaims,sayingtheywere “categorically false and defamatory”.

After accepting his new job he said in a statement that his role as chairman “was never the easiest position to hold, because it was also the most political post in the government. As a result, you take a lot of brickbats — some deserved, others less so”.

As promised during the election campaign, the Prime Minister has appointed Ros Altmann as Pensions Minister. The finance expert and campaigner will be elevated to the House of Lords.

EricPickleswilltakeoverasparliamentarychairmanof ConservativeFriendsof Israel after losing his job as Communities Secretary. He is also expected to work with the new Holocaust Memorial Foundation,setupasaresultof MrCameron’s Holocaust Commission.

Tobias Ellwood keeps his post as Middle East Minister at the Foreign Office.