Suella Braverman sacked, UK ex-PM David Cameron returns to government in reshuffle
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron returned to the UK government as Foreign Secretary on Monday.
He will replace James Cleverly, who was appointed Home Secretary after Suella Braverman was sacked over her remarks on pro-Palestinian protests in the country.
Here’s all the changes that happened in the UK cabinet:
The reshuffle in the UK government was triggered by the sacking of Suella Braverman after she criticised the police for how it handles pro-Palestinian protests. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had been under pressure to sack her after she called such protests “hate marches” and accused the country’s largest police force of having a “double standard” in dealing with aggression during the protests.
In an article in ‘The Times’ newspaper, Suella Braverman said the pro-Palestinian protests in London “are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland”.
The sacked minister also claimed the police officers “play favourites” and alleged that right-wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are met with a “stern response” while “pro-Palestinian mobs” are “largely ignored”.
Leaders both from within the Conservative Party and the opposing Labour Party had come down heavily on Braverman for her remarks. Further, PM Rishi Sunak’s office said her article was published without his clearance, as per the ministerial code.
After days of controversy, Braverman was sacked on Monday and a source in the UK government said Rishi Sunak “asked Suella Braverman to leave government and she has accepted”.
Afterwards, Braverman said “it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary”, and added, “I will have more to say in due course.”
She was immediately replaced by James Cleverly, who had been serving as the Foreign Secretary since September 2022.
James Cleverly’s appointment as Home Secretary left the Foreign Secretary’s post empty and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron stepped in.
He was spotted entering PM Rishi Sunak’s office on Monday after Suella Braverman was sacked, raising speculations about his return.
Shortly afterwards, those speculations were confirmed as Rishi Sunak’s office announced Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary.
After his appointment, David Cameron praised Rishi Sunak as a “strong and capable Prime Minister” and said he wants to help him to “deliver the security and prosperity our country needs”.
He also added that he looks forwards to working with James Cleverly, the newly appointed Home Secretary.
David Cameron was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and resigned that year after losing the Brexit referendum. He had supported the campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union.
He was succeeded by Theresa May, his home secretary.
David Cameron’s appointment as foreign secretary is likely to please more centrist Conservatives, who think his international experience will help steady the ship, said experts.
For Braverman, it was the second time in little more than a year that she had been forced out of the same job. In October 2022, former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss ordered her to resign for sending confidential information to an MP from a private email address.
“I have made a mistake. I accept responsibility and I resign,” Suella Braverman had written in her resignation letter.
She was brought back as the Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak within a week of her resignation.
According to a report by The Guardian, Braverman’s dismissal is being used by UK PM Rishi Sunak as the trigger for a wider reshuffle, with Environment Secretary Therese Coffey, Health Secretary Steve Barclay also believed to be likely to go.
Meanwhile, Labour Party leader and London Mayor Sadiq Khan opposed the reshuffle saying what Britain needs is general elections.