David Cameron Returns to Government Amidst Rishi Sunak's Ministerial Reshuffle
Key Highlights :
The United Kingdom is in the midst of a major reshuffle of its top team, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seeks to create a “united” frontbench before the upcoming general election. In a dramatic move, Sunak has sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman, prompting a ministerial reshuffle that has seen the return of former Prime Minister David Cameron to government.
The reshuffle began on Monday morning, when Cameron walked into 10 Downing Street shortly before 9am. In a sign that this will be a wide-ranging reshuffle, ministers have also left the education and health departments. The Conservatives have said that Sunak is carrying out a reshuffle which “strengthens his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future.”
In response to her sacking, Braverman said in a statement that it had been “the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary.” She ominously added that she “will have more to say in due course.” In a move that raised eyebrows across Westminster, Cameron has been confirmed as foreign secretary. Making a dramatic return to government, he has been made a peer in the House of Lords as he is no longer a sitting MP.
Speaking after his appointment, Lord Cameron said that while “I may have disagreed with some individual decisions” made by Sunak, he “is a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time.” Jeremy Hunt can breathe a sigh of relief as Downing Street confirmed he is staying in post after speculation that Sunak wanted to replace him with a close ally. He is due to deliver the government’s Autumn Statement on 22 November.
The reshuffle has seen Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab move to Home Secretary, while Health Minister Neil O’Brien and Schools Minister Nick Gibb have both left the government. O’Brien said he had asked “to go to back benches” to focus on his constituency and see more of his small children. Gibb said he had left the government and would not stand at the next general election.
The reshuffle comes as little surprise after a tumultuous week in which Braverman was accused of stiring unrest on the streets and accusing the police of bias for allowing a pro-Palestine march to go ahead on Armistice Day. It also comes just days before a crucial court ruling on the government’s flagship Rwanda policy.
Commenting on the reshuffle, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Suella Braverman was never fit to be Home Secretary. Rishi Sunak knew this and he still appointed her. It was the prime minister’s sheer cowardice that kept her in the job even for this long. We are witnessing a broken party and a broken government, both of which are breaking this country.”
The reshuffle has seen the return of David Cameron to government, and the departure of Suella Braverman from the Home Office. The reshuffle also marks a critical juncture for the United Kingdom, as the government seeks to create a “united” frontbench before the upcoming general election. With the reshuffle now complete, the government will be focused on delivering long-term decisions for a brighter future.
