Policy wonk now playing vital role as Tory moderniser

Nicholas Boles prefers to stay out of the limelight, beavering away on whichever task the Tory leadership has given him.

But the man who was charged with smoothing Boris Johnson's transition to power knew he had to take the heat away from the Mayor when things went wrong.

Although he was criticised by some Conservatives for his handling of the Ray Lewis affair his loyalty did not go unnoticed. It proved to many that his position as a trusted member of David Cameron's "kitchen cabinet" was not undeserved.

Mr Boles, 42, educated at Oxford and Harvard, has already demonstrated his policy wonk credentials, setting up the Tory think tank Policy Exchange in 2002. The openly gay businessman and member of the Notting Hill set quickly became a big hitter in the party. He threw his hat in the ring for Mayor and was tipped as Cameron's favourite but was forced to withdraw as a result of ill health. But neither his ideas nor his cash were wasted. They, along with his political skills, were transferred to Team Boris. After settling in the new Mayor he returned to Central Office, where he is now playing a crucial role alongside archmoderniser Francis Maude. He will fight the Tory seat of Grantham at the next election.