2012 British cabinet reshuffle

British prime minister David Cameron conducted the first major reshuffle of his coalition government on 4 September 2012. The reshuffle, nearly two and a half years after the government was sworn in, was highly anticipated, and eschewed the trend of annual reshuffles which had become common under the governments of the 1990s and 2000s. As a result, many ministers had been in place not just since the government was elected in 2010, but had covered the portfolio in Cameron's shadow cabinet or even earlier; Andrew Lansley had covered the health brief since 2004, when Michael Howard led the Conservatives in opposition.

Despite this, Cameron's room to manoeuvre was limited by his coalition agreement with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats, which guaranteed the minority party seats in government, and Clegg the right to select his ministers. 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.

The reshuffle, which was criticised by the opposition for resulting in a cabinet with only four female members out of twenty-two, ultimately shifted Cameron's government significantly to the right on business, justice, and the environment, and rid the government of perceived weaknesses, while maintaining stability at the top. In an official statement, Number 10 stated that the impetus for the reshuffle was the fact that after more than two years, the government was "at the delivery phase" and that ministers had "been appointed with that in mind".

Kenneth Clarke, who had served in every Conservative government since Edward Heath made him an Assistant Whip in 1972, retired as Lord Chancellor at the age of 72 after two years, becoming an advisory Minister without portfolio with the right to attend cabinet, the National Security Council, and the important cabinet economic sub-committee. Clarke, who declined Cameron's offer of the Leadership of the House of Commons, explained that when Cameron asked him to become Shadow Business Secretary in 2009, the men agreed that he would serve in the cabinet for two years, and that "At my age, it is time for me to step back from the slog of running a large department, but I am delighted to have been given a more advisory political role". Despite no longer being Lord Chancellor, Clarke maintained responsibility for passage of the Justice and Security Act as Minister without portfolio.

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