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Washington: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday (November 13) abruptly announced a cabinet reshuffle, appointing former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. The current Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, is transferred to the position of Home Secretary, replacing Suella Braverman, who was dismissed due to inappropriate remarks.
Braverman's dismissal was the main reason for Sunak's personnel changes. She sparked controversy for criticizing the London police's handling of a pro-Palestinian protest in a newspaper article, even referring to the UK pro-Palestinian group as "thugs." Her comments were seen as undermining Sunak's authority.
The UK is expected to hold general elections next year, and support for Sunak's Conservative Party is currently significantly lower than that of the Labour Party. Reuters noted that Sunak's decision to bring back Cameron seems to be an attempt to rehire an experienced veteran with a balanced position rather than compromising with the right-wing of the Conservative Party that supported Braverman.
Braverman was dismissed for the second time from the position of Home Secretary. She was previously the Home Secretary in Liz Truss's government but resigned due to allegations of violating ministerial rules.
Braverman published an unauthorized article in a newspaper last week, accusing the London police of adopting "double standards" in dealing with protests, suppressing right-wing demonstrators while tolerating pro-Palestinian protesters. Braverman's article, once published, aroused strong dissatisfaction and criticism from Labour Party MPs and some Conservative Party colleagues. Sunak's dismissal of her was inevitable.
However, Reuters pointed out that Sunak's cabinet reshuffle plan had been brewing for a long time, and Braverman's inappropriate remarks provided Sunak with an opportunity to bring his allies into the cabinet and remove unsuitable individuals.
The Labour Party believes that Braverman's remarks intensified a confrontation and conflict between participants in a pro-Palestinian demonstration and some far-right counter-demonstrators last Saturday, resulting in the arrest of nearly 150 people by the police. Although Braverman's dismissal was not surprising, Cameron's return shocked the Conservative Party internally.
Reuters quoted Cameron as saying that he is pleased to take on his new role, as there is nothing more important than uniting the country with our allies and strengthening our partnerships to ensure that our voice is heard in a world of global changes.
"Although I may disagree with some individual decisions, in my view, Rishi Sunak is obviously a strong and capable Prime Minister who has shown remarkable leadership at a difficult time," Cameron wrote on the X platform.
However, dismissing Braverman has already made them angry for the right-wing of the Conservative Party, and now getting back Cameron has made them even more unsatisfied. These people believe that Braverman's views on how the police handled the protests were not wrong, and after her dismissal, she and those non-office-holding MPs will speak out together.
James Cleverly, who replaces Braverman as Home Secretary, is seen as a moderate within Sunak's cabinet. He stated that in his new position, he is "to ensure the safety of the people of this country."
Reuters reports that UK polls have repeatedly shown that Labour's public support leads the Conservative Party by about 20 percentage points, and Sunak has struggled to narrow the gap in the polls with the Labour Party.