Former British Prime Minister David Cameron made a surprise return to the top job on Monday, becoming foreign secretary in a major Conservative government reshuffle that also saw the sacking of divisive Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Cameron, who led the UK government between 2010 and 2016, was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a Cabinet reshuffle in which he sacked Braverman, a divisive figure who sparked outrage for accusing the police of being too soft on pro-Palestinian protesters.
He was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary.
Cameron’s appointment surprised seasoned political observers.
It is rare for a non-legislator to hold a senior government position, and it has been decades since a former prime minister held a Cabinet post.
The government said Cameron would be appointed to the unelected upper house of Parliament, 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.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron walks after being appointed Foreign Secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle November 13, 2023 in London.REUTERS Former British Prime Minister David Cameron leaves 10, Downing Street after being appointed Foreign Secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle November 13, 2023 in London.Getty Images
Cameron said Britain “faces a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.”
“Although I have been out of front-line politics for the past seven years, I hope that my experience — as Conservative leader for 11 years and prime minister for six years — will help me in helping the prime minister face this important challenge,” he said in a statement.
His appointment brings back to government a leader ousted by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
Cameron called a 2016 EU membership referendum, confident the country would vote to remain in the bloc.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron is seen with Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, Commonwealth and Development, after being appointed as Foreign Secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle on November 13, 2023 in London. Getty Images
He resigned the day after voters voted to leave.
Sunak was a strong supporter of the “leave” side that won the referendum.
Cameron’s return, and Braverman’s sacking, are likely to anger the right wing of the Conservative Party and fuel tensions within the party that Sunak has tried to calm.
Leading far-right MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said Braverman’s sacking was “a mistake because Suella understood what British voters were thinking and tried to do something about it.”
Sunak has been under increasing pressure to fire Braverman – a hardliner popular with the authoritarian wing of the ruling Conservative Party – from one of the most senior jobs in government, responsible for handling immigration and policing.
Cameron was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a Cabinet reshuffle in which he fired Braverman.via REUTERS
In a highly unusual attack on police last week, Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawlessness by “pro-Palestinian mobs.”
He described the protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as a “march of hate.”
On Saturday, far-right protesters clashed with police and tried to confront a massive pro-Palestinian march by hundreds of thousands through the streets of London.
Critics accused Braverman of helping to fuel the tension.
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Last week Braverman wrote an article for the Times of London in which he said the police “play favorites when it comes to protesting protesters” and act more leniently on pro-Palestinian protesters and Black Lives Matter supporters than on right-wing protesters or football hooligans.
The article was not approved in advance by the prime minister’s office, as is usually the case.
Braverman said Monday that “it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as secretary of the home,” adding that he “will have more to say in the future.”
Braverman, a 43-year-old lawyer, has become the leader of the party’s populist wing by advocating for tighter restrictions on immigration and a war on human rights protections, liberal social values and what he calls the “wekerati.” “
Last month he called the migration a “hurricane” that would bring “millions more migrants to these shores, uncontrolled and unmanaged.”
As home secretary Braverman championed the government’s stalled plan to send asylum seekers arriving in Britain by boat on a one-way trip to Rwanda.
The UK Supreme Court will decide whether the policy is legal on Wednesday.
Critics say Braverman has built his profile to position himself for a possible party leadership contest if the Conservatives lose power in an election expected next year.
Cameron will be appointed to the unelected upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords. Reuters
The bold change was Sunak’s attempt to reset his faltering kingdom.
The Conservatives have been in power for 13 years, but polls for months have put them 15 to 20 points behind Labor amid a stagnant economy, persistently high inflation, an overstretched health care system and a wave of public sector strikes.
Last month Sunak tried to paint his government as a force for change, saying he would break the “30-year status quo” that included the Cameron government and other Conservative predecessors.
“A few weeks ago, Rishi Sunak said David Cameron was part of the failed status quo. Now he’s bringing it back as his life raft,” said Labor MP Pat McFadden. “This puts to rest the prime minister’s ridiculous claim to offer change from 13 years of Tory failure.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
