2012 British cabinet reshuffle

Further, Cameron's personal aversion to reshuffles and belief that ministers were most effective when given time at a department led to him viewing many cabinet members, including the holders of the Great Offices of State, as immovable.

When Duncan Smith resisted this, insisting that he be allowed to remain due to a fear that his Universal Credit scheme would be watered down by George Osborne's Treasury in his absence, Cameron decided instead to promote Grayling and leave Duncan Smith in place,[11] leading to accusations of weakness from Labour's Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, Michael Dugher.

[14] Clarke's departmental retirement was met with sadness from many justice related pressure groups, including the Howard League for Penal Reform, which called him a "breath of fresh air", and even from the former Labour First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, who said that he would have merged the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices and made Clarke "Secretary of State for Nations" if he were Prime Minister.

[18] Boris Johnson, the Tory Mayor of London and perceived challenger to Cameron, attacked the move, calling Greening a "first rate Transportation Secretary" and saying that the "only reason" for it would be to clear a hurdle to building a third runway.

Zac Goldsmith, a backbench London Conservative MP, went even further in attacking Cameron for the apparent U-turn, saying that "real leadership requires clarity" and that the move reflected "panic, not principle".