UK's Sunak brings back Cameron, sacks interior minister in new reset
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[November 13, 2023]
By Elizabeth Piper
LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak brought back former
leader David Cameron as foreign minister on Monday in a reshuffle
triggered by his firing of interior minister Suella Braverman after her
criticism of police threatened his authority.
It was the latest reset for a prime minister whose party is badly
lagging the Labour Party before an election expected next year. The
return of Cameron suggested Sunak wanted to bring in more centrist,
experienced hands rather than appease the right of his party which
supported Braverman.
It also awakens divisive debate over Brexit: Britain's decision to leave
the European Union, which Cameron triggered by holding a referendum in
2016 even though he backed staying in the bloc.
Under fire from opposition lawmakers and members of the governing
Conservative Party to eject Braverman, Sunak seemed to have brought
forward a long-planned reshuffle to bring in allies and remove ministers
he felt were not performing.
His hand was forced when the ever-controversial Braverman defied him
last week in an unauthorized article accusing police of "double
standards" at protests, suggesting they were tough on right-wing
demonstrators, but easy on pro-Palestinian marchers.
The opposition Labor Party said that inflamed tensions between a
pro-Palestinian demonstration and a far-right counter protest on
Saturday, when nearly 150 people were arrested.
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While her removal was not a surprise, it was the appointment of Cameron
which caused shock in the Conservative Party, welcomed by more centrist
lawmakers but hated by some of the right who described it as the
ultimate "Brexit surrender".
Cameron said he was glad to take on his new role because at a time of
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".
"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," he wrote on X,
formerly Twitter.
BREXIT RETURNS
Lawmakers in the centrist wing of the party said Cameron's appointment
would bring international experience, and send a wider message to the
country.
"It's a sign to the Tory blue wall and moderate voters, we aren't
heading to the right," one Conservative lawmaker said, using a phrase
that is used to describe traditional Conservative-supporting areas in
the south of England.
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![](../images/111323PIX/news_l91.jpg)
Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign
Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London,
Britain November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett
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Some lawmakers had feared that Braverman was determined to remake
the Conservatives as the "nasty party", a moniker former Prime
Minister Theresa May used in 2002 to try to persuade the party to
shed its reputation of being uncaring.
But Cameron's return compounded the anger felt by some on the right
of the party after her sacking. They said Braverman's stance on how
the police dealt with protests was correct and predicted she would
become a vocal force among those who do not hold ministerial
positions in parliament.
Some Brexit supporters also said the fact Cameron had campaigned for
Britain to stay in the European Union after he called a referendum
on membership for 2016 meant the so-called "remain" wing of the
party had taken over.
James Cleverly, previously foreign minister, was appointed to
replace Braverman. He is seen as a safe pair of hands and was quick
to say his new role was "to keep people in this country safe".
With Braverman sidelined, her attentions might focus on preparing
for a possible future race for leader of the party if, as the
opinions polls suggest, the Conservatives lose the election expected
next year.
The Labor Party has consistently held an around 20-point lead in the
polls, and Sunak has failed to reduce that gap.
He tried to relaunch himself as a representative of "change" at his
party's conference last month, when his message was overshadowed by
a poorly communicated decision to cancel part of the country's
biggest rail project.
Labor had called Sunak weak since Braverman's article was published
on Wednesday. Now, opposition lawmakers said his decision to appoint
Cameron was an act of desperation.
Lawmaker Pat McFadden, Labor's national campaign coordinator, said:
"A few weeks ago Rishi Sunak said David Cameron was part of a failed
status quo, now he’s bringing him back as his life raft."
"This puts to bed the prime minister's laughable claim to offer
change from 13 years of Tory failure."
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout,
Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young; Editing by Kate
Holton and Andrew Cawthorne)
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