Moderniser's smooth rise but final stumble

Since then he has smoothly moved to the top of the polls as Labour struggled in the face of political scandal and a fierce recession.

But in spite of being tagged as the "heir to Blair" he was unable to match the former Labour leader's unstoppable charge to Number 10 and the Tory race for power stumbled, ending just short of the winning post with a hung parliament.

Now Mr Cameron – who has set himself up as the party moderniser – will have to appease both the more right-wing members of the Tory faithful while maintaining a close relationship with the Lib Dems.

His history suggests such an improbable balancing act could be achieved.

The son of a stockbroker, he spent the first three years of his life in Kensington and Chelsea before the family moved to an old rectory near Newbury, in Berkshire.

He was educated at Eton and Oxford and has been strongly criticised for been a member of the exclusive Bullingdon dining club in his youth.

Mr Cameron has refused to discuss his time in the club – and consistently dodged the question of whether he took drugs at university. He is also a member, along with Prince Charles and his sons, of exclusive Mayfair gentleman's club White's.

But in spite of the privileged upbringing he has distanced himself from the archetypal image of the old imperious Conservative and has embraced issues such as gay rights, climate change and support for the NHS.

He won plaudits for the decisive action he took on the expenses scandal – swiftly disciplining his own MPs – and his youthful energy and a willingness to engage at grass roots level has brought more young people into the Tory ranks.

Married to Samantha, the couple have two young children with another baby on the way and Mr Cameron's subdued suburban lifestyle sits well with the middle England voters he is desperately trying to win back.