UK’s Sunak brings back Cameron, sacks Braverman in new reset.

On Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reinstated previous leader David Cameron as Foreign Minister following his dismissal of Interior Minister Suella Braverman for criticizing police.

Before the anticipated election of next year, the prime minister’s party is significantly trailing the Labour Party. This was his latest attempt at a makeover. The fact that Cameron returned implied Sunak preferred to bring in an experienced, more moderate figure rather than curry favor with his party’s populist right, which had backed Braverman.

Additionally, it rekindles the divisive debate over Brexit. Many in the party’s right-wing despised Cameron, who advocated for remaining in the EU during the 2016 referendum. Shortly after Britain decided to leave, he resigned.

Following mounting criticism of Braverman from opposition MPs and ruling Conservative Party members, Sunak reshuffled the cabinet, bringing in supporters and dismissing ministers he believed were underperforming.

When the notorious Braverman disobeyed him last week in an unapproved piece, charging police at protests with “double standards”—implying they were harsh on right-wing protestors but lenient on pro-Palestinian demonstrators—his hand was pressed.

Tensions between a pro-Palestinian march and a far-right counterprotest on Saturday resulted in about 150 arrests, according to the opposition Labour Party.

Even though her dismissal was expected, the party was rocked by Cameron’s selection, despised by conservatives who saw it as the ultimate “Brexit surrender” but hailed by those in the center.

“It has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships, and make sure our voice is heard,” said Cameron, expressing his gratitude for taking on his new post during a period of global upheaval.

“Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time,” he said on X, which used to be Twitter.

After leaving politics in 2016, Cameron can rejoin the administration by being appointed to the House of Lords, the parliament’s upper house.

BREXIT COMES BACK
According to lawmakers from the party’s moderate wing, the selection of Cameron would provide foreign expertise and convey a larger message to the nation.

One Tory legislator stated, using a term used to characterize historic Conservative-supporting districts in the south of England, “It’s a sign to the Tory blue wall and moderate voters, we aren’t heading to the right,”

There was concern among certain legislators that Braverman was bent on remaking the Conservatives as the “nasty party” due to her strict stance on immigration and social issues. Former Prime Minister Theresa May coined the phrase “nasty party” to convince the party to shake off its image of being callous.

However, some on the right felt much more enraged by Cameron’s reappearance than before her dismissal. They supported her protest posture and anticipated she would continue to be an outspoken advocate.

Additionally, several Brexit supporters said that the party’s “remain” wing had gained control because of Cameron’s involvement in the referendum.

The former foreign minister, James Cleverly, replaced Braverman. He declared his new responsibility was “to keep people in this country safe” and is regarded as a trustworthy individual.

When the Supreme Court rules on Wednesday over the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, he will face his first legal challenge. Should the critical policy fail, some legislators would raise the clamor for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.

With Braverman out of the picture, her emphasis may turn to getting ready for a potential future party leadership run should the Conservatives lose the anticipated election in the next year, as predicted by opinion surveys.

Sunak has been unable to close the roughly 20-point deficit that the Labour Party has maintained in the polls.

He attempted to reinvent himself as a champion of “change” during his party’s convention last month. Still, his message was overshadowed by an ill-advised move to shelve a portion of the largest train project in the nation.

Since Braverman’s piece was out on Wednesday, Labour had referred to Sunak as weak. Opposition MPs now claim that his appointment of Cameron was a desperate move.

“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,” said lawmaker Pat McFadden, coordinator of Labour’s national campaign.

“This puts to bed the prime minister’s laughable claim to offer change from 13 years of Tory failure.”