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Cameron’s appointment hits Westminster like a meteorite

After Rishi Sunak’s sacking of Suella Braverman, all eyes will be on her backbench supporters

New British foreign secretary David Cameron departs 10 Downing Street in London, on Monday. The former prime minister was appointed after the sacking of home secretary Suella Braverman. Photograph: EPA
New British foreign secretary David Cameron departs 10 Downing Street in London, on Monday. The former prime minister was appointed after the sacking of home secretary Suella Braverman. Photograph: EPA
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Mark Paul London Correspondent
Mon Nov 13 2023 - 11:16

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s sacking of Suella Braverman in a cabinet reshuffle was expected if somewhat expedited – many thought she would survive until midweek. But the return to cabinet this morning of former prime minister David Cameron has hit Westminster like a meteorite.

Nobody saw this coming. Not least because Sunak has spent the last two months implicitly criticising Cameron in a series of landmark speeches.

On September 20th, at a Downing Street speech on climate change policies, Sunak blamed previous governments “both Labour and Conservative” for making bad decisions about the future of Britain. That was seen as a coded rejection of, among other things, Cameron’s approach to government. Less than six weeks ago at the Tory conference in Manchester, Sunak declared himself ready to end 30 years of “failed consensus” in British politics, another rebuke of his predecessors, including Cameron.

Now he has brought Cameron back to the heart of government as foreign secretary, one of the great roles of state in Britain. The Conservative Party never fails to portray Labour leader Keir Starmer as a flip-flopper. Next time, he will have a comeback.

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Sacking Braverman will create other problems for Sunak in the north of England where her brand of anti-immigrant fire and brimstone went down well. Photograph: Justin Tallis/PA Wire
Sacking Braverman will create other problems for Sunak in the north of England where her brand of anti-immigrant fire and brimstone went down well. Photograph: Justin Tallis/PA Wire

[ Suella Braverman: A timeline of controversies ]

The removal of Braverman, a standard bearer of the right wing of the party, and the return of Cameron, a Remainer who tried to modernise the party when he became leader in 2005, puts a more moderate veneer on the post-Brexit Tory cabinet a year out from a general election. This may be an attempt to limit electoral damage to the party in middle class “Blue Wall” seats in the south of England, where the Liberal Democrats are on the attack.

But sacking Braverman will create other problems for Sunak in the north of England, in the so-called “Red Wall” seats where her brand of anti-immigrant fire and brimstone went down well. She has been replaced by former foreign secretary, James Cleverly, a far calmer figure.

[ Report: Cameron returns as Sunak sacks Braverman ]

Just last week, some right-wing Tories were reported to have warned that they might instigate a heave against Sunak were he to sack Braverman, who was under pressure over comments she made about protesters and the police. “Don’t f**k with the Suella,” one told the Times. “If you come for the queen, the rooks, the knights, the pawns and the bishops will all stand in the way.”

Sunak appears to have called their bluff. The prime minister learned over the weekend’s controversy surrounding Braverman’s outbursts about protesters that she had almost no support around the cabinet table. All eyes will now be on the reaction of her supporters on the backbenches including John Hayes, Miriam Cates and also the Tory party vice-chairman, Lee Anderson.

Sunak effectively routed the right-wing European Research Group over Brexit earlier this year. Now he appears to be taking on perhaps the noisiest rump of right wingers in the party by sacking Braverman. They will not take it quietly. The Tories have entered yet another round of bloodletting.