In a major political development in the UK politics; former Prime Minister David Cameron appointed foreign secretary
UK PM Rishi Sunak sacks Suella Braverman; James Cleverly named new Home Secretary
The move follows days of tensions over an article Suella Braverman wrote accusing the London police of pro-Palestine bias.
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| Cameroon had quit as PM in 2016 |
Reacting to the sacking, Braverman said she will have “more to say in due course”. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary … I will have more to say in due course,” she was quoted as saying by PA Media.
David Cameroon quit in 2016 when he failed to keep Britain in the European Union.
This is the second time that Ms Braverman has left a cabinet position midway. Earlier, during the Liz Truss government in 2022, she had served as the Home Secretary but left the role for breaking the ministerial code by sending an official document from her personal email.
She was brought back to the role around six weeks later when Rishi Sunak took oath as the new Conservative PM.
The furore followed an opinion piece Braverman wrote regarding “hate marches” being held in London over the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza. In an article published in the British daily The Times on Wednesday, Braverman had accused Metropolitan officers of taking a softer stance towards left-wing causes.
Of Course, this is Rishi Sunak's first government shakeup since entering office in October 2022.
Cameron's return to government suggests Sunak wants to bring in more centrist, experienced hands rather than appease the right flank of his party that supported Braverman.
His unexpected return to British politics comes after he spent the last seven years writing his memoirs and pursuing business interests, including in Greensill Capital, a finance firm that later collapsed. In a statement released shortly after his new role was announced, Cameron 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.
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 move also marks the return to government of a leader brought down by Britain's decision to leave the European Union – Cameron called the 2016 Brexit referendum, confident the country would vote to stay in the bloc.
But ultimately, he resigned the day after voters opted to leave.
Ms Braverman's position in the Rishi Sunak cabinet became increasingly untenable after she last week wrote an explosive newspaper article, apparently without Sunak's approval, accusing police of bias towards left-wing causes. It was blamed for stoking tensions ahead of a weekend of protests over Israel's war in Gaza, which coincided with Armistice Day events, and prompted calls for her to be sacked.
The firing comes as the ruling Conservatives confirmed a major reshuffle of Sunak's top ministers was under way, his first since becoming the country's leader on October 25, 2022.
"Here we go," the party said on X, formerly Twitter.
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