Cabinet reshuffle: David Cameron makes astonishing return to politics as Suella Braverman sacked

Tory whip Steve Double has quit his Government role to return to the backbenches.

In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the MP said he informed the chief whip of his decision in September.

Mr Double said: “This is very much a personal decision based on what is right for me, as well as my family and constituents.”

Downing Street said Esther McVey would attend Cabinet as a minister without portfolio.

Veteran right-winger Esther McVey has been named Minister Without Portfolio, and will attend Cabinet. The Sun reports that she will be focused on "tackling the scourge of wokery". You've as good a guess as I do what that actually means.

Wes Streeting has lambasted the latest Cabinet reshuffle, describing it as yet another “Conservative clown show”, PA reports. He said the Government had exhausted all the viable names “at the bottom of the barrel”, adding: “So they are starting all over again.”

Speaking during the fourth day of debate in the Commons on the King’s Speech, shadow health secretary Streeting questioned the Conservative Party’s inability to find suitable candidates for critical roles among its MPs.

He also said that when it comes to the National Health Service, now-Lord Cameron “has quite a lot to answer for”, given he was “the architect of austerity”. Streeting said: “The merry-go-round of the Conservative clown show continues and after 13 years they have run out of names at the bottom of the barrel so they’re starting all over again.

The Prime Minister "believes collective responsibility is a very important principle", his press secretary has said when asked about Suella Braverman.

It is understood Rishi Sunak called the former Home Secretary this morning to inform her of his decision to sack her. So far the pair have not done the customary exchange of letters which is common for most ministerial changes.

Sunak's press secretary said: "It is clearly very important that we have a united and strong team at the top of government. There was differences of style, and it's right that we can move forward now and focus on what matters to people.

"The Prime Minister believes collective responsibility is a very important principle, and he believes that government and therefore senior ministers speak with one voice.

"There were some issues around language, the Prime Minister said that he wouldn't use some of the words that he's used before and ultimately the Prime Minister reserves the right to change the team sheet when he sees fit."

She wouldn't comment on the "internal process" around Braverman's rogue op-ed.

David Cameron has been giving his first interview as Foreign Secretary.

He tried to duck questions about criticism of his role in the Greensill scandal during an interview with broadcasters, and said that was "in the past".

Cameron lobbied Downing Street and the Treasury, including Rishi Sunak, to try and get changes to the Covid loan scheme, which would have benefited his employer Greensill Capital.

This was highly unusual and while Cameron’s efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, he still secured 10 meetings with Treasury officials. This was called the biggest lobbying scandal of a generation.

This evening Cameron said: “The most important thing I’ve done since leaving office is act as president of Alzheimer’s Research and to raise millions of pounds and help our scientists get closer to a diagnosis and a cure, something that affects almost a million people in our country.

“Today I resign from all of those things, from all of the businesses I have been helping.

"The other things I’ve been doing, including being a professor at NYU, that all stops – I now have one job, as Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom and I am very proud to work with our Prime Minister to try and make sure our country be as secure and as prosperous as possible.”

Pressed again, Lord Cameron said: “All those things were dealt with by the Treasury Select Committee, and other inquiries at the time.

“As far as I am concerned, that is all dealt with and in the past. I now have one job, as Britain’s Foreign Secretary.”

Rishi Sunak is “looking to the future” rather than dwelling on the past, Downing Street said, despite bringing back David Cameron as Foreign Secretary.

Responding to whether it was an issue that Cameron was against Brexit, the Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “We’re at a point now where we are looking to the future, we’re not looking to the past as a party.

“We have a PM that voted Brexit, believed in it, has championed it, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

Asked if Lord Cameron believes in Brexit, she said: “Yes, of course. We are making Brexit a success.”

Rishi Sunak approached David Cameron for the Foreign Secretary job, NationalWorld understands.

It is thought Sunak has been considering Cameron for the role for several weeks, in order to get more experience in his top team.

His spokesman said: "At a time of significant global instability he [Cameron] brings huge experience. He is an established figure on the world stage."

Cameron has already been approved by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, and he will be represented in the House of Commons by Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell.

John Glen has replaced Jeremy Quin as paymaster general, No 10 said. Greg Hands has become a minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade.

Lee Rowley has been appointed housing minister at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Downing Street said.

The shock appointment of David Cameron shows some semblance of panic in No10, Ralph Blackburn writes from Westminster, with Rishi Sunak ripping up the script and strategy he unveiled only a month ago. After trying to paint himself as the change candidate going into the next election, that’s all out the window after bringing back the longest serving Tory Prime Minister of the last 20 years. 

Labour were quick to make this point, with Pat McFadden saying: “A few weeks ago, Rishi Sunak said David Cameron was part of a failed status quo, now he’s bringing him back as his life raft. This puts to bed the Prime Minister's laughable claim to offer change from 13 years of Tory failure.”

As part of that claim of change, Sunak scrapped the Northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester, which was David Cameron’s biggest infrastructure project. It’s all getting a bit the Thick of It.

Sunak’s clearly trying to win back the centre ground, which has been squeezed by Labour and the Lib Dems as recent by-elections attest. But by doing this he’s junking his current strategy, and looking desperate as he brings in a Foreign Secretary who hasn’t been in Parliament for seven years.

Read the full piece here.

Laura Trott MBE MP has been appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Victoria Atkins MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Richard Holden has been appointed as the new chairman of the Conservative Party.

Earlier we brought you the news that former Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey had stepped down from her cabinet role - now her replacement has been confirmed.

Steve Barclay, who has served as Health Secretary since the beginning of Sunak's premiership in October 2022, will move to the role in DEFRA.

His replacement in the health department has not yet been announced.

David Cameron's return to frontline politics has shocked the political bubble.

The former PM last sat in Parliament in 2016, when he was an MP for Witney in Oxfordshire.

But just what has he been up to since leaving government seven years ago?

Read more here: Is David Cameron still an MP? Who is new Foreign Secretary, is former Prime Minster a Lord

Thérèse Coffey has stepped down as Environment Secretary as part of the huge cabinet reshuffle taking place in Downing Street at the moment.

She said in a post on X: "I have written to the Prime Minister today to step down from government. It has been a privilege to serve him and indeed 5 Conservative Prime Ministers as a minister. I look forward to continuing to serve my constituents of Suffolk Coastal."

In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, she wrote: “In my years of service and different ministerial posts, I am proud to have delivered for people, the planet and prosperity throughout that time.”

“Turning ambition into action and delivery has been the hallmark of my service. I want to thank the many dedicated civil servants, ministers and special advisers who have helped me achieve that.”

Her replacement at DEFRA has not yet been announced.

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