In a major Cabinet reshuffle, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed former Prime Minister David Cameron as the new foreign secretary. According to Downing Street, the unexpected appointment of the former PM comes after Suella Braverman was fired as home secretary and James Cleverly was appointed to replace her, leaving the top job open at the Foreign Office, Sky News reported.
Notably, Cameron is not an elected member of the UK Parliament and his appointment is endorsed by the Sunak government in a major cabinet reshuffle following a controversy that broke out after the Indian-Origin foreign secretary wrote a "controversial" piece. She is considered as divisive figure who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters.
According to a statement released by the Sunak's office, King Charles had approved a seat for Cameron in Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords.
"The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon David Cameron as secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs. His Majesty has also been pleased to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon David Cameron," read a statement released by 10 Downing Street.
"I may have disagreed with Sunak but..."
"The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted. Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable Prime Minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time," wrote Cameron on social media platform, X.
"We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard," he added.
Why Cameron's appointment is seen as a big political comeback?
Cameron's appointment, who served as UK Prime Minister from 2010-2016, came as a surprise to seasoned politics watchers. It’s 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 will be appointed to Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords. The last foreign secretary to serve in the Lords, rather than the elected House of Commons, was Peter Carrington, who was part of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s.
It marks the return to government of a leader brought down by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. 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.
Is it a chaos 'orchestrated' by Braverman?
Braverman’s exit was less surprising. Sunak had been under growing pressure to fire Braverman — a hard-liner popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party — from one of the most senior jobs in government, responsible for handling immigration and policing.
In a highly unusual attack on the police last week, Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”
On Saturday, far-right protesters scuffled with police and tried to confront a large pro-Palestinian march by hundreds of thousands through the streets of London. Critics accused Braverman of helping to inflame tensions.
What does Braverman say
Last week Braverman wrote an article for the Times of London in which she said police “play favorites when it comes to protesters” and acted more leniently toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Black Lives Matter supporters than to right-wing protesters or soccer hooligans.
The article was not approved in advance by the prime minister’s office, as would usually be the case.
Braverman said Monday, “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary,” adding that she would “have more to say in due course.”
(With inputs from agency)
