Tim Loughton is something of a political freak. Government ministers and their opposition counterparts tend to stay for two or three years before they disappear or move to other departments. Loughton, however, is in his seventh year as Conservative shadow children's minister, holding the brief since November 2003.
This durability has allowed him to forge many strong relationships in the children's and youth sector, he says. The general election this spring at last puts him within touching distance of power.
"Michael Gove, my boss, and David Cameron are aware that having done this job for so long, I would love to then do it for real in government," he pronounces in his office on a bright, crisp winter's morning.
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