Shadow Cabinet: Who's Who

Leader - David Cameron Chancellor - George Osborne Chairman - Caroline Spelman Justice - Nick Herbert Chief Whip - Patrick McLoughlin Commons - Theresa May Culture - Jeremy Hunt Defence- Liam Fox Development - Andrew Mitchell Energy and climate - Greg Clarke Education - Michael Gove Higher Education - David Willetts Environment - Peter Ainsworth Cohesion - Sayeeda Warsi Cabinet office - Francis Maude

Foreign Secretary - William Hague Health - Andrew Lansley Home Secretary - Dominic Grieve Security - Dame Nevillle-Jones Business - ALan Duncan Lords Leader - Lord Strathclyde Community - Eric Pickles N Ireland - Owen Paterson Transport - Theresa Villiers Treasury - Philip Hammond Work & Pensions - Chris Grayling Wales - Cheryl Gillan Scotland - David Mundell Policy - Oliver Letwin

Leader - David Cameron

David Cameron was virtually unknown outside Westminster when he was elected Tory leader in December 2005 at the age of 39.

The Old Etonian had dazzled that year's party conference with his youthful dynamism and charisma, reportedly telling journalists he was the "heir to Blair".

He has sought to plant the Conservative flag firmly in the centre ground of British politics, but his assault on traditional Tory touchstones, such as grammar schools, has brought him into conflict with the party's grassroots.

Before becoming leader, he was the Conservatives' campaign co-ordinator at the 2005 general election and shadow education secretary.

He was special adviser to Home Secretary Michael Howard and Chancellor Norman Lamont in the 1990s before spending seven years as a public relations executive with commercial broadcaster Carlton.

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Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer - George Osborne

One of David Cameron's closest friends and political allies - the pair have been dubbed the "Blair and Brown" of the Conservative Party - George Osborne has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks since becoming MP for Tatton in 2001.

Michael Howard promoted him from shadow chief secretary to the Treasury to shadow chancellor in May 2005, at the age of 34. It is a post he has kept under Mr Cameron.

Before entering Parliament, he was a special adviser in the agriculture department when the Tories were in government and later served as political secretary to William Hague.

He is also heir to the Osborne and Little wallpaper fortune.

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Party chairman - Caroline Spelman

Caroline Spelman became the second woman, after Theresa May, to be Conservative Party chairman in 2007, at the age of 49.

She entered Parliament in 1997 and was tipped for a shadow cabinet post when Michael Howard became Tory leader in 2003. But she was first appointed spokesman for the environment and shadow minister for women - both non-frontbench positions.

She served as shadow secretary of state for international development and more recently as shadow secretary for local and devolved government.

Before entering Parliament, she worked in agriculture, including a spell as deputy director of the International Confederation of European Beetgrowers, in Paris.

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Shadow Secretary of State for Justice - Nick Herbert

Seen as one of the Conservatives' fastest-rising stars, Nick Herbert is a longstanding supporter of shadow home secretary David Davis, backing his leadership bids in 2001 and 2005.

He became an MP in 2005, taking over as candidate in Arundel in South Downs after MP Howard Flight was sacked by Michael Howard for hinting the party's plans for spending cuts went further than it had admitted.

The party's second openly gay frontbencher, after Alan Duncan, Mr Herbert was instrumental in setting up the Countryside Alliance and is a former head of right leaning think tank Reform, where he advocated radical policies on schools and hospitals.

He was drafted into the shadow cabinet as Justice spokesman at the age of 44, after impressing David Cameron as Tory spokesman on police reform.

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Chief Whip - Patrick McLoughlin

The former miner has been MP for West Derbyshire since 1986.

When the Conservatives were in power, he was a minister at the departments of transport, employment, trade and industry, and in the whips' office. In opposition, he became deputy chief whip in 1998.

Mr McLoughlin has an unusual background for a Tory MP. His mother was a factory worker and he worked as a farm labourer before following his father and grandfather into the pits.

He spoke out against Arthur Scargill in the miners' strike, when he was a strike-breaker.

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Shadow Leader of the House of Commons - Theresa May

Theresa May was the first woman to become party chairman, under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith.

She then took up the culture and family portfolios before being made shadow Commons leader by David Cameron.

She has been a keen advocate of positive action to recruit more women Tories to winnable seats and was a key architect of the "A list" of preferred candidates.

A passionate moderniser with an exotic taste in shoes, she is famous for telling Tory activists they were seen as members of the "nasty party".

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Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary - Jeremy Hunt

MP for South West Surrey since 2005, Jeremy Hunt became the Conservatives' culture spokesman at the age of 40, in recognition of his work on disability issues.

He was previously the party's spokesman on disabilities and welfare reform.

He replaced Hugo Swire, who was sacked as culture spokesman shortly after suggesting free museum entry might be scrapped.

Mr Hunt, a fluent Japanese speaker, founded a company called Hotcourses, offering guides to help students find the right course before entering Parliament.

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Shadow Secretary of State for Defence - Liam Fox

The former GP came third in the 2005 party leadership contest, presenting himself as a candidate of the right.

A popular figure with the party's grassroots, he was co-chairman during the 2005 general election but was moved to the shadow foreign secretary portfolio in May.

Under both William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith, he served as shadow health secretary.

And when the Conservatives were in government in the 1990s, Dr Fox was a whip and later a Foreign Office minister.

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Shadow International Development Secretary - Andrew Mitchell

Mr Mitchell ran David Davis' leadership campaign in 2005 and kept his shadow-cabinet job under the new regime.

A former social security minister and whip, Mr Mitchell has also served as shadow minister for police.

He first became an MP in 1987 and lost his Gelding seat a decade later, only to return as MP for Sutton Coldfield in 2001.

Before going to university, Mr Mitchell served in the Royal Tank Regiment and later worked for investment bank Lazard, where he remains a director.

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Shadow Energy and Climate Change - Greg Clarke

One of a new generation of more liberal-minded Conservative MPs, Mr Clark is close to David Cameron and, as the Tories' former director of policy, a key influence on his thinking on social issues.

Within a year of being elected MP for Tunbridge Wells in 2005, he was made the Conservative spokesman on charities. He raised eyebrows in the party when he said the politics of left-wing columnist Polly Toynbee were more relevant to the modern Conservative Party than those of Winston Churchill.

He was promoted to the newly created and more high profile role of shadow secretary for energy and climate change in response to Gordon Brown's creation of the department, headed by Ed Miliband.

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Shadow Education: Children, Schools and Families - Michael Gove

Seen as one of the brightest talents in the 2005 intake, the former Times journalist is a key member of David Cameron's inner circle and helps write many of his speeches.

As the Tories' housing spokesman, Mr Gove made a name for himself as an effective Commons performer in attacks on the government's home information packs.

He was drafted into the shadow cabinet, as children, schools and families spokesman, at the age of 39 when his leader split the education brief in two to reflect Gordon Brown's Whitehall changes.

Mr Gove headed the Policy Exchange think tank for three years before landing the safe seat of Surrey Heath.

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Shadow Education: Innovation, Universities and Skills - David Willetts

Known as one of the party's big thinkers, former shadow education secretary David "Two Brains" Willetts was shunted sideways in the July 2007 reshuffle after a bitter row over the party's policy on grammar schools.

A former Treasury civil servant and graduate of the Number 10 policy unit at the height of Margaret Thatcher's time in office, he subsequently became director of research for the Centre for Policy Studies.

After his eleciton to the Commons in 1992, he enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks before being criticised for his role as a whip during the Neil Hamilton cash-for-questions investigation.

In opposition, he served as shadow education and employment secretary under William Hague before taking on the work and pensions job. He briefly dallied with a party leadership bid in 2005 before throwing his weight behind David Davis.

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Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary - Peter Ainsworth

Mr Ainsworth returned to the shadow cabinet in 2005 after a three-year absence. He stood down in 2002 for family reasons.

He became an MP in 1992 after a career as a banker and soon became parliamentary aide to ministers Jonathan Aitken and Virginia Bottomley.

Later, he was a government whip and in opposition became shadow culture secretary.

He has returned under David Cameron to the environment post he held under Iain Duncan Smith.

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Shadow Community Cohesion Minister - Sayeeda Warsi

Sayeeda Warsi became the first Muslim woman to sit on the front bench of a British political party in July 2007 at the age of 36.

Straight-talking and combative - she describes herself as a "northern, working-class-roots mum" - she gave up her job as a solicitor in 2004 to stand for Parliament in her home town of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, losing out to Labour's Shahid Malik.

She was also a special adviser on community relations to then Tory leader Michael Howard before becoming the party's vice-chairman.

Ms Warsi - who is married with a daughter - says her admiration for Conservative principles is inspired by her father, who went from working in a mill to running a