Cameron in, Braverman out: Cabinet reshuffle shakes up British politics

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Britain’s former Prime Minister David Cameron has made a surprising comeback to the government, taking on the position of foreign secretary.

His appointment came as part of Monday’s reshuffle that saw Suella Braverman being sacked as home secretary and replaced by James Cleverly, the former foreign secretary.

Cameron, who is currently not a parliamentarian, will immediately be made a life peer to enable the appointment.

The ex-premier was the one who paved the way for the 2016 Brexit referendum, as he had pledged a vote on the contentious issue during his 2015 election campaign.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s appointment has brought Cameron back into politics after seven years.

The decision, however, has raised a few eyebrows as more than half of Britons now think Brexit was the wrong choice, and because of the allegations regarding Cameron’s alleged lobbying action for a firm to receive a £123 million ($150 million) contract for personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East,” Cameron wrote on X.

“At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard.

“While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience – as Conservative Leader for eleven years and Prime Minister for six – will assist me in helping the Prime Minister to meet these vital challenges.”

Cameron resigned as leader of the Conservatives and prime minister in 2016 after losing the Brexit referendum, where he was leading the Remain camp.

Sunak’s appointment has widely been described as a move to please moderate MPs, before next year’s general election in the UK.

In 2016, Cameron was also harshly criticized for the UK’s intervention in Libya alongside with France, as a parliamentary committee said British policy in Libya before and since the intervention of March 2011 “was founded on erroneous assumptions and an incomplete understanding of the country and the situation.”

- Controversial home secretary

Braverman, meanwhile, has undoubtedly been one of the most controversial ministers in the UK.

Many human rights groups have criticized her for the Sunak-backed “Rwanda plan” – a proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while their claims are assessed and housing many of them already in the UK on barges.

She has been often slammed for wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on the plan, particularly since the government could not send a single asylum seeker to Rwanda yet due to legal challenges on grounds of international law.

The Home Office has appealed a High Court judgement that declared the Rwanda plan “unlawful,” with a final say from the Supreme Court expected this week.

- ‘Hate marchers’

Braverman was also under fire from other political parties due to her stance against protesters who have been taking to British streets since the start of Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 11,200 people so far.

Braverman described them as anti-Semitic “hate marchers.”

For Braverman, the writing was on the wall since she penned a controversial article last week in a daily, attacking the Metropolitan Police for their tolerance toward the peace marchers.

“The hate marchers need to understand that decent British people have had enough of these displays of thuggish intimidation and extremism,” she wrote on X.

She was accused of fueling far-right rhetoric on pro-Palestine marchers, criticizing the police for not banning last weekend’s protest, which coincided with Armistice Day, on which around 100 members of far-right groups were arrested as they clashed with police and attacked protesters.

Braverman, who is married to a Jewish husband, previously told an Israeli outlet that her family members had served in the Israeli military.

The former home secretary also caused outcry when she described homelessness as a “lifestyle choice.”

- ‘Unfit for public office’

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf was one of the first to react to Braverman’s sacking.

“Never has someone been so unfit for public office as Suella Braverman,” he wrote on X.

“At a time when we need those in Government to bring communities together, she revelled in fanning the flames of division.”

Yousaf also added his voice to the chorus of calls within the UK for an early general election.

“The Tories are out of ideas and out of time, there should be a General Election now,” he said.