Why is it taking so long to finalise Government appointments?

I have been promising for some days that as soon as all the government ministers and whips are appointed, I will post an analysis of the pre-election Conservative front bench so you can see who has and hasn't attained  office.

But a full week after David Cameron started appointing his Cabinet and we still do not have a complete list of the Government. We appear to have most ministers from the Commons appointed, but still no official word from Downing Street on most of the Govenrment Whips' Office and those being ennobled to take ministerial office.

I posted latest reports of who is said to be going to the Whips' Office on Monday evening and even George Osborne himself has talked about having Sir James Sassoon as a Treasury minister. Yesterday news seeped out that Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb is to be a whip and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to Nick Clegg.

But Downing Street still cannot provide the full list.

The negotiations over jobs would appear to be taking even longer than the Coalition negotiations themselves.

Jonathan Isaby