September, Thursday 19, 2024

David Cameron set to make a comeback to the cabinet table after an absence of seven years


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On Tuesday, David Cameron will join the cabinet for the first time in over seven years after being recalled to the government. The cabinet has undergone a major overhaul, with former Prime Minister Cameron returning to frontline politics. He is replacing James Cleverly, who has been moved to the position of home secretary, taking over from Suella Braverman, who was sacked due to her criticism of the Metropolitan Police. The appointment of Cameron, who was recently appointed to the House of Lords, came as a surprise as Downing Street successfully prevented any speculation about the move from leaking. Not only is Cameron entering the House of Lords, but he is also taking up one of the highest-ranking positions in the government. Shortly after the announcement, Lord Cameron carried out official duties, such as holding a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They discussed the strong relationship between the UK and the US, as well as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. During a speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London, Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister, expressed his satisfaction with the new foreign secretary appointment and emphasized that the new cabinet is a unified team. Richard Holden, the newly-appointed Conservative Party chair, highlighted that Lord Cameron returned to duty out of a sense of obligation and will bring valuable experience to the role. However, not everyone in the Conservative Party is pleased with the return of Lord Cameron and the new cabinet. Some party members, such as Dame Andrea Jenkyns, have already expressed no confidence in the prime minister. To threaten his leadership, 53 other members would need to follow suit. Conservative former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg also expressed concerns that the Tories may lose votes to the Reform party. Opposition parties wasted no time in questioning whether bringing back a prime minister who left office seven years ago truly represents the fresh start that Sunak claims. Senior Labour MP Pat McFadden stated that Lord Cameron's appointment contradicts the prime minister's promise to bring change after 13 years of Conservative failure, and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described it as a desperate move. The Liberal Democrats are also calling for Lord Cameron's peerage to be blocked due to his lobbying for the collapsed finance company Greensill Capital. However, Lord Cameron assured that he had resigned from his various business and charitable roles, including his position as president of the Alzheimer's Society, and that his focus is solely on his role as foreign secretary. Besides Lord Cameron, other familiar faces are returning to the government following Monday's reshuffle. Former Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has taken on a junior role in the Department for Health and Social Care, and Damian Hinds has become a minister in the Department for Education, which he previously ran.