Details of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government are beginning to emerge. Here is a guide to the key cabinet posts confirmed so far.

Conservative 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 match the former PM by putting the Conservatives at the centre ground of British politics.

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.

In just five years, Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, at 43 the same age as Mr Cameron, has gone from political obscurity to the absolute front line of British politics.

After becoming MP for Sheffield Hallam at the 2005 election, he was promoted to Europe spokesman, before moving on to the home affairs role.

When Sir Menzies Campbell resigned as leader in 2007, he entered the race to succeed him, in the end narrowly beating Chris Huhne.

He has campaigned against the government over civil liberties and opposed the Conservatives’ spending cuts plans, attempting to create a distance between the Lib Dems and what he calls the “old parties”.

But he really came to prominence during the televised debates ahead of the general elections, being judged in polls to have been the big winner of the first one.

However, this appeared to do little to help the Lib Dems when they actually lost seats on 6 May. The party, though, retained enough MPs to become the vital players in the hung parliament.

WATCH: ‘There will be distinctive British foreign policy’

Since he returned to the shadow cabinet in 2005, Conservative William Hague has become a key adviser to David Cameron, and was seen as de facto deputy party leader.

The new foreign secretary has plenty of experience to call upon, having been Tory leader himself from 1997 to 2001 and shadow foreign secretary until the election.

A witty and engaging Commons performer who is popular with grassroots Tory members, Mr Hague entered Parliament in 1989 having been special adviser to Chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe. He was soon promoted to be a social security minister and in 1995 entered the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales.

In addition to his duties as shadow foreign secretary, Mr Cameron put Mr Hague in charge of rebuilding the party in the North of England, as chairman of its Northern Board.

Mr Hague has said that as foreign secretary, he is determined to put in place a “distinctive British foreign policy” and the situation in Afghanistan is a priority.

WATCH: ‘It’s time to roll up the sleeves’

One of David Cameron’s closest friends and Conservative allies, George Osborne rose rapidly after 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.

Mr Osborne took a key role in the election campaign and has been at the forefront of the debate on how to deal with the recession and the UK’s spending deficit.

Even before Mr Cameron became leader the two were being likened to Labour’s Blair/Brown duo. The two have emulated them by becoming prime minister and chancellor, but will want to avoid the spats.

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.

The BBC understands that as chancellor, Mr Osborne, along with the Treasury will retain responsibility for overseeing banks and financial regulation.

Mr Osborne said the coalition government was planning to change the tax system “to make it fairer for people on low and middle incomes”, and undertake “long-term structural reform” of the banking sector, education and the welfare state.

Theresa May is the biggest winner so far in job allocated in the new cabinet, becoming only the second woman to hold the post of Home Secretary.

She was the first woman to become Conservative 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 famously ruffled feathers when she told Tory activists they were seen as members of the “nasty party”.

Mrs May was the shadow work and pensions minister ahead of the election.

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.

As shadow defence secretary he has led his party’s criticism of funding for the armed forces under Gordon Brown and he retains that brief as the party moves into government.

He has said that he will start a Strategic Defence Review into Britain’s Armed Forces immediately.

Mr Cameron has previously said that Mr Clarke was a “big figure” with “great experience”. He was the last chancellor to lead the UK out of recession – during the John Major government of the 1990s.

His return to the Tory frontbench last year was seen as somewhat of a gamble for Mr Cameron given that Mr Clarke – who held a host of ministerial jobs in the Thatcher and Major governments – had staunchly pro-European views.

These views were widely seen to be the reason for his failure to win the three party leadership contests he entered – but Mr Cameron decided that Mr Clarke’s experience was worth the risk of reopening party splits.

Mr Clarke was president of the union at Cambridge, became a QC in 1980 and after a succession of junior ministerial jobs he served as health, education and home secretaries before becoming chancellor from 1993 to 1997.

The former civil servant became an active Conservative in the 1980s after a spell as private secretary to Norman Tebbit.

In 1990 he became head of the Conservative Research Department and was one of the architects of the Tories’ surprise 1992 election victory. However, he later faced criticism for his central role in the disastrous 2001 poll campaign.

He returned to the shadow cabinet in 2003 under Michael Howard as shadow health secretary, the role he continues to hold under David Cameron.

Mr Cameron had long guaranteed Mr Lansley – who has played a key role in convincing people that the NHS is a high priority for the Conservatives – the role of health secretary in a government led by him.

Tory Michael Gove was 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 who 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.

He had previously said he was prepared to give up a post in the new Cabinet to ensure the deal with the Lib Dems went ahead, but he sticks with the education brief in government.

WATCH: Cable delighted

Vince Cable has had a long journey to reach the front rank of politics, having first been a Labour and then SDP supporter before its merger with the Liberals to become the Liberal Democrats.

An economist by trade, he entered Parliament as MP for Twickenham in 1997 and has gradually built up his powerbase among the Lib Dems.

As the party’s deputy leader and Treasury spokesman he saw his stock rising during the credit crunch because of his earlier warnings.

When he stood in as temporary leader after the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell, he memorably described Gordon Brown as going from “Stalin to Mr Bean”.

He is also expected to be a member of a new ministerial committee which is dedicated to creating banking policy, and chaired by the chancellor.

Chris Huhne is set to become Energy and Climate Change Secretary, the BBC understands. Like Nick Clegg, Mr Huhne entered Parliament in 2005. He also attended the same school – the exclusive Westminster public school – and served as a Member of the European Parliament.

They have much in common, but they fought a close – and sometimes angry – campaign for the leadership in 2007.

Afterwards Mr Huhne, who had been environment spokesman, was promoted to the home affairs brief. He made a fortune in the City before entering politics, and is seen as being on the left of the party.

He was a key member of the Lib Dem team which held talks about a coalition with both Labour and the Conservatives. He would be expected to be among the five Lib Dems in the cabinet.

On the economically liberal wing of the Lib Dems, David Laws has been an MP since 2001.

A former investment banker, he was quickly promoted to the party’s Treasury team, taking responsibility for spending commitments in the lead-up to the 2005 election.

After that he moved to work and pensions and then, in 2007, to speak on children, families and schools. He earned plaudits from some in the Conservative Party in this role.

But the Yeovil MP was relatively low profile until he became part of the Lib Dem negotiating team following the hung parliament which resulted from the election.

His new role, working as part of Chancellor George Osborne’s Treasury team, is set to be a key one given the stated coalition priority of reducing the UK government’s deficit.

Danny Alexander was Nick Clegg’s chief of staff and the Liberal Democrats’ campaign co-ordinator throughout the election.

He was also the former media chief of pro-euro campaign group Britain in Europe, which brought together leading Labour and Lib Dem voices with business groups.

First elected to Parliament in 2005, he rose to prominence when Mr Clegg became party leader in 2007.

He was the author of the party’s 2010 election manifesto.

The Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP won one of 11 seats for the Lib Dems in Scotland.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8675705.stm