One, Harriet Harman, was later sacked from her job as secretary of state for social security, and another, Margaret Beckett, was demoted from secretary of state for trade and industry to leader of the House of Commons.

ECONOMIST: The queue for the cabinet

That undershoot was largely due to lower-than-expected spending on social security payments, which departments cannot easily control (though the Secretary of State for Welfare and Pensions would say he has helped to keep unemployment down.) But ministers have also over-delivered when it comes to squeezing administrative budgets.

BBC: Hard times for Mr Osborne