After his worst month as leader, he copied Gordon Brown by putting people from outside the parliamentary party into top roles and introducing rising stars.

David Willetts, seen as the catalyst for the row over grammar schools, moves from education ­– a department that was split in two – to the new Innovation, Univers­ities and Skills portfolio.

Michael Gove, an MP for just two years, will cover schools and children, half of the old education department. And Francis Maude goes from party chairman to the Cabinet Office. Caroline Spelman takes his old post.

Hugo Swire is replaced as Shadow Culture Secretary by Jeremy Hunt, who became an MP in 2005. Mr Swire was dropped after proposing to scrap free admission to museums and art galleries.

NEW POST: Spelman

In a surprise move Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, will become Shadow Security Minister and Mr Cam­eron’s national security adviser.   Another non-MP, party vice-chairman Sayeeda Warsi, is made Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion. She is believed to be the first Muslim in such a senior role.

David Davis remains Shadow Home Secretary, William Hague is still Shadow Foreign Secretary and George Osborne stays as Shadow Chancellor.

Mr Cameron said: “These changes strengthen the Shadow Cabinet and harness new talent.”

But veteran Tory Ann Winterton told Parliamentary Monitor magazine: “Some of Mr Cameron’s attempts to shift the Conser­v­a­tives’ direction have left much of the party’s traditional support baffled.”

These changes strengthen the Shadow Cabinet and harness new talent