Former British prime minister David Cameron yesterday made a shock return to high office, becoming foreign secretary in a major shakeup of the Conservative government that also saw the firing of divisive home secretary Suella Braverman.
Cameron, who led the UK government from 2010 to 2016, was appointed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a Cabinet shuffle in which he sacked Braverman, a divisive figure who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters.
She was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary.
Photo: AP
Cameron’s appointment came as a surprise to seasoned politics watchers. It is rare for a non-lawmaker to take a senior government post, and it has been decades since a former prime minister held a Cabinet job.
The government said Cameron was being appointed to Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords.
Cameron, 57, said Britain was “facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.”
“While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience — as Conservative leader for 11 years and prime minister for six — will assist me in helping the prime minister to meet these vital challenges,” he said in a statement.
Cameron’s appointment brings back to government a leader brought down by Britain’s decision to leave the EU. Cameron called the 2016 EU membership referendum, confident the country would vote to stay in the bloc. He resigned the day after voters opted to leave.
Sunak was a strong backer of the winning “leave” side in the referendum. Cameron’s return and Braverman’s sacking are likely to infuriate the Conservative Party’s right wing and inflame tensions in the party that Sunak has sought to soothe.
Prominent right-wing lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said sacking Braverman was “a mistake, because Suella understood what the British voter thought and was trying to do something about it.”
Sunak had been under growing pressure to fire Braverman from one of the most senior jobs in government, responsible for handling immigration and policing.
Meanwhile, British environment secretary Therese Coffey resigned, saying in a letter to Sunak: “I consider it is now the right time to step back from government.”
In a letter responding to Coffey, Sunak thanked her for her “dedicated service.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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