Are the days of the Downing Street doorstep, where for generations the fourth estate has camped in order to glean information, truly over? Cameron's "reshuffle by tweet" sounds a death knell for this fine tradition.
"I'll be reshuffling the Cabinet today. Watch this Twitter feed for the very latest. #Reshuffle," the PM breezily tweeted. He then nimbly finger-tapped his way through an exceedingly busy morning.
Phone batteries drained as outside rolling news broadcasters squinted at their smartphone screens.
William Hague's new berth as leader of the Commons was first to pop into timelines. "No more air miles, Sir?" shouted a hack as the erstwhile foreign secretary, back ram rod straight, fingers fiddling with the bottom button of his navy jacket, walked out of No 10 a mere 10 minutes after arriving, rictus smile in place.
Philip Hammond, or "Box Office Phil" as he is known among Tory backbenchers for his safe pair of hands, was the second, with the PM's Twitter feed announcing his promotion to foreign secretary at 9.05. "Delighted", said Hammond emerging five minutes later.
And so it continued … for hours. But for the distinctive black door backdrop, there was little reason to physically be in Downing Street at all, other than, perhaps, to witness a grinning George Osborne leaving No 11 after breakfast and looking to have not a care in the world.
Each appointment was officially and perfunctorily gazetted in less than 140 characters.
So there was no real "scoop" on Michael Gove's shock demotion, booted from education to the chief whip's chair. Those fastest with the news had merely refreshed their timeline more swiftly than the opposition. Neither was there any sign of Gove himself after his surprise move. Four hours after he had entered No 10 shortly before 8am, he had still not re-emerged, presumably having slipped out of a side door.
The feminisation of the cabinet had been widely trailed in advance, and the early arrival of Nicky Morgan, to become education secretary – not "education sexretary" as mistweeted in the BBC's Nick Robinson's feed – indicated correctly she was to be a big winner. Liz Truss followed to take the environment brief and spend summer recess genning up on badgers, flooding or, even, flooding badgers. Esther McVey arrived as employment minister and departed as… employment minister, but one allowed to attend cabinet.
In total, the quota of full female cabinet seats increased from three to five. If Cameron was clearly after the women's vote 10 months hence, he was also chasing the hirsute voter. Incoming Welsh secretary Stephen Crabb sports the first beard to grace a Tory cabinet, apparently, since George V lookalike, the 4th Earl of Onslow, in 1905.
This reshuffle had been billed as a clear-out of the "male, pale and stale". And tie-less cabinet office minister Oliver Letwin did look a little weary when he popped in to No 10 just before 8.30am. But a spruced up Letwin, complete with red tie, reappeared in time for elevenses to be announced as the new lord keeper of the privy seal. In olden days holders of this ancient office were responsible for the personal seal used on the monarch's communications. It's a role long obsolete. But, after a dizzying day tapping away, perhaps Cameron has use for a modern-day equivalent to officially sign off his personal tweets. LOL.
