UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak named former premier David Cameron as foreign secretary, a shock move that followed his firing of Home Secretary Suella Braverman and her replacement by James Cleverly.
Sunak fired Braverman after she defied his authority over police handling of pro-Palestinian marches and was accused of emboldening a far-right counter-protest which turned violent on Saturday. He then moved Cleverly, previously foreign secretary, to replace her, and brought in Cameron, who was elevated to the House of Lords so that he could take up his post.
Key Developments
- Former Prime Minister David Cameron named as foreign secretary
- Sunak names James Cleverly as Braverman’s replacement
- Suella Braverman fired as home secretary, says she’ll have “more to say in due course.”
- May, Heseltine, welcome Cameron’s appointment; Rees-Mogg is critical
Heseltine Says Cameron Appointment Kills Rightward Tory Lurch (11:35 a.m.)
Tory Party grandee Michael Heseltine joined voices praising Sunak’s appointment of Cameron, telling Times Radio the move will “put to bed” the Conservative Party’s recent “right-wing lurch.
“It is the clearest signal that the sort of right-wing lurch that we’ve seen and the anti-European movement that we’ve seen has been put to bed,” said Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister and current member of the House of Lords. “That will get a message across to people. But you have to always cling on to reality. The economic situation is very difficult indeed.”
Mixed Reactions to Cameron From Tory MPs (10:45 a.m.)
Sunak has received mixed reactions to his reshuffle from different parts of his party, with some centrists backing the surprise appointment and more right-wing Tories opposing it. Former Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on X that Cameron’s international experience will be “invaluable.” Fellow Tory MP Lucy Allan said on the same platform that Cameron’s “era was the last time we saw stable government.” Another, Tobias Ellwood, told Times Radio that Cameron would be “very good” at exercising Britain’s “soft power” on the international stage.
However, pro-Brexit former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg questioned whether the appointment of Cameron – who campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU – would antagonize some Tory voters. “Will this potentially push some people to Reform is a question for the pollsters,” he told GB News, referring to a fringe party to the right of the Tories.
Cameron Says Experience Will Help Him (10:27 a.m.)
New UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he will “stand by our allies” and “make sure our voice is heard” on challenges from the Middle East to Ukraine. In a statement posted on social media, Cameron said: “While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience – as Conservative Leader for eleven years and Prime Minister for six – will assist me in helping the Prime Minister to meet these vital challenges.”
Cameron also acknowledged in his statement that he had publicly disagreed with Sunak on “some individual decisions,” but described him as a “strong and capable” prime minister. Cameron last month criticized Sunak’s cancellation of a high speed rail line.
Just a Quarter of Brits View Cameron Favorably (10:20 a.m.)
If Rishi Sunak was hoping bringing David Cameron back into government would give him a polling boost, he may be disappointed. Just 24% of UK adults view him favorably, compared to 45% who see him unfavorably, the polling company Savanta said on Monday, circulating a survey it conducted about a month ago.
“This data implies it perhaps isn’t the wisest of moves from Sunak in terms of public opinion,” Savanta’s political research director, Chris Hopkins, said in a statement.
David Cameron Appointed New UK Foreign Secretary (9:59 a.m.)
It’s confirmed: David Cameron is Britain’s new foreign secretary, after Rishi Sunak appointed the former prime minister to the House of Lords and made him the country’s top diplomat. It marks an unlikely comeback for Cameron, who will take charge of the UK’s response to the crisis in Israel and Gaza, as well as contending with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Cleverly Named Home Secretary, Freeing Up Foreign Job (9:41 a.m.)
Sunak appointed James Cleverly as the new home secretary, replacing Braverman, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. Cleverly had been foreign secretary, meaning Britain will imminently get a new top diplomat at a critical time during the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
David Cameron Seen Walking Into Downing Street (08:56 a.m.)
In a development not predicted by anyone in Westminster, former prime minister David Cameron has just walked up Downing Street and into No. 10. That’s set off speculation that he is about to be appointed to the House of Lords and a Cabinet job, in what would be an extraordinary return to front-line politics for the premier who quit after losing the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Sunak Sacks Home Secretary Braverman, Shuffles Cabinet (8:38 a.m.)
Sunak has fired his Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she defied him by criticizing the policing of pro-Palestine protests in remarks that were not authorized by Downing Street. The sacking kicks off a wider Cabinet reshuffle, with the prime minister expected to announce a raft of other senior ministerial changes on Monday. Braverman said in a statement: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as Home Secretary. I will have more to say in due course.”
Junior Ministers Gibb, O’Brien Step Down (Earlier)
Junior Ministers Nick Gibb and Neil O’Brien both said that they’ve stepped down from their posts. Gibb, the long-serving schools minister, said he’s in talks to take up a diplomatic role after the next general election and had asked Sunak if he could step down in the government reshuffle.
O’Brien, who served as a health minister, said he’d asked to return to the back benches so that he could focus on his constituency work. Both men made their announcements in posts on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
--With assistance from Unni Krishnan.
