Rishi Sunak has decided to risk his political future with the unexpected resignation of former “premier” David Cameron (as Foreign Secretary) and the sudden dismissal of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary. The double blow, interpreted as a concession to the moderate faction of the Conservative Party, nevertheless threatens to provoke the wrath of the hard wing and reopen the wounds of Brexit in the midst of the countdown to the 2024 elections.
David Cameron's return to high politics seven years after his resignation caused astonishment in his own ranks, although he was received with praise by the international community and especially in Brussels.. “I hope we can work together to strengthen ties and cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom,” said High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell.. “In times of profound global change, we need to stand together and defend our shared values.”
Dozens of Tory MPs, however, interpreted Cameron's appointment and Braverman's dismissal as revenge for the defenders of remaining in the EU and a declaration of war on the right wing of the party.. The New Conservatives and Common Sense groups called together their ranks in Parliament on Monday and threatened to push for sending letters to the 1922 Committee asking for a vote of no confidence against their own leader.
“I have disagreed with some of Sunak's individual decisions, but I consider him to be a capable and strong leader,” Cameron said after being called into Downing Street chapel early on Monday.. The former “premier”, who also resigned as a deputy after losing the EU referendum in 2016, has had to be appointed a member of the House of Lords in order to be part of the Government.
At the time of assuming the helm of the Foreign Office, Cameron highlighted the “international vocation” of the United Kingdom “at a time of great global challenges, from the war in Ukraine to the crisis in the Middle East”. “Rarely has it been so important for our country to stay with our allies, strengthen our alliances and ensure that our voice is heard,” the former “premier” wrote on his X account.
Cameron takes over from James Cleverly, who becomes Home Secretary, replacing Suella Braverman. Sunak took advantage of the Government crisis to also dismiss Therésè Coffey as Environment Secretary, replaced by Steve Barclay, who at the same time gave up her position as Health Secretary to Victoria Atkins, also a supporter of remaining in the EU.. Ric Holden, former press officer for the Tories under Cameron, has meanwhile been named president of the Conservative Party.
Analysts had been speculating for several days about the dismissal of Suella Braverman, after her defiant article in The Times that bypassed all the Government's filters and in which she criticized Scotland Yard's “favoritism” in the face of pro-Palestine demonstrations, described as ” hate marches”. The attacks on the police and the riots caused by a hundred far-right protesters who were arrested on Armistice Day possibly precipitated its downfall.
What no one was counting on until Monday was the sudden return of David Cameron, which stole the headlines from Braverman and mitigated to some extent the impact of his dismissal.. “The former prime minister will serve to strengthen the foreign relations team, but he also brings with him a list of disadvantages, with Brexit at the top,” warned Bronwen Maddox, director of Chatham House.. “Many remember him simply as the prime minister who elected a referendum that he did not intend to lose and that compromised the United Kingdom's international relations.”
“I believe in public service and I am delighted to accept this position,” Cameron said in his first television interview after his appointment.. The former “premier” claimed to have resigned from all his positions in private companies and institutions, such as the Alzheimer's Foundation, which he has come to preside over.. In his first appearance before the media, however, he was forced to answer for his role in the bankruptcy scandal of the financial firm Greensill Capital, for which he even interceded with the Government (after having received the equivalent of nine million euros as an advisor).
Suella Braverman meanwhile left through the back door for the second time, thirteen months after her first resignation in the short-lived Government of Liz Truss for having violated the ministerial code. Rishi Sunak restored her to her position as a concession to the hard wing of the Conservative Party, but her incendiary rhetoric overwhelmed the patience of the “premier”, who informed her of her dismissal quickly and by telephone.
Suella Braverman actually positioned herself as a populist alternative to Sunak during the recent Conservative Party conference in Manchester. The former Secretary of the Interior had been bypassing the Government's filters for more than two months since her controversial trip to Washington where she proclaimed “the fiasco of multiculturalism” and warned that “mass immigration is an existential threat” to the West.
Daughter of Indian immigrants living in Kenya and Mauritius, born 43 years ago in London, Braverman was promoted to the fore by Boris Johnson, in fact presented the candidacy for his succession and keeps her ambitions very much alive to be leader of the party, with a considerable support among the grassroots.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as Secretary of the Interior,” declared Braverman, reserving the right to “discuss later” the details of her dismissal, which occurred two days before the highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling. on the deportations to Rwanda of immigrants pending asylum applications.
Lord Peter Cruddas, one of the largest donors to the Conservative Party, former ally of Boris Johnson and close to the hardline, was one of the first to raise his voice against the changes in Sunak's Government. “The coup was consummated,” he declared, referring to the conspiracy theory of revenge by supporters of remaining in the EU.