George Osborne earned his chance to be Cameron's effective number two by running a scintillating 2005 leadership campaign on his behalf. Although William Hague was the Party's nominal Deputy Leader, Osborne was in effect its real one. He was also kept in place by Cameron as Shadow Chancellor - an appointment originally made by Michael Howard after Cameron, reportedly, turned it down.
Having a young Shadow Chancellor with no government experience may be unproblematic during a boom. But it's a big ask for voters once a bust sets in. Cameron and Osborne recognised this themselves - hence the return of Ken Clarke to the Shadow Cabinet during the autumn of 2008. There's a case for arguing that Osborne, a politician to his fingertips, should at that point have been moved to be a powerful Party Chairman and Election Co-ordinator. It's fair to say that the Cameron/Osborne ticket projects an unbalanced appeal. Both are young, male, professional politicians raised in England's south. No American Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket would run two candidates from the same same state. The parallel isn't perfect, but it's suggestive. Nor has this leadership team been recently complemented by the presence at the Tory top table by a vigilant voice from the Party's right-of-centre.
