PM goes back to the future to try and boost Tories
Rishi Sunak handed David Cameron a shock return to frontline politics on Monday in a dramatic reshuffle that shifted the Cabinet towards the centre ground in a bid to stave off election defeat.
But the Prime Minister risked a major backlash from right-wing Conservatives after sacking Suella Braverman as home secretary following days of speculation over her political future.
Lord Cameron, who has been rushed into the House of Lords, was appointed Foreign Secretary to replace fellow Tory moderate James Cleverly, in what marked the first return of a former prime minister to government since Alec Douglas-Home in the 1970s.
Mr Cleverly in turn replaced Ms Braverman as Home Secretary in a pair of moves that appeared to change the political direction of the Government.
Just a month ago, Mr Sunak had declared himself the change candidate and the antidote to decades of political consensus, in an apparent rebuke of Mr Cameron’s premiership between 2010 and 2016.
It came as the Prime Minister announced his decision to scrap northern leg of HS2, a move publicly criticised by Mr Cameron.
But with the Conservatives trailing Labour by nearly 20 points in the polls, Mr Sunak carried out a dramatic reset of his top team, days after Ms Braverman had caused outrage by criticising the police over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
Ministers from the centre-right of the party hailed the move, with one telling i Mr Sunak had brought in “sensible voices”. Another described Lord Cameron’s appointment as “inspired”.
One Tory insider declared simply: “Christmas came early for liberal Conservatives.”
But other ministers privately expressed concerns that Mr Sunak had failed to ensure right-wing representation at a senior enough level, despite Esther McVey being handed a Cabinet return as an anti-woke “common sense minister”.
The backlash began almost immediately, as former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Sunak as a result of his decision to axe Ms Braverman.
The new Foreign Secretary sought to gloss over past disagreements with Mr Sunak on EU membership and HS2, telling broadcasters: “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.”
Lord Cameron also attempted to brush off questions on the Greensill affair, in which he privately lobbied ministers in an attempt to win Greensill Capital access to an emergency Covid loan scheme.
“As far as I am concerned, that is all dealt with and in the past,” he said.
Mr Sunak’s press secretary said the reshuffle reflected his focus on having a “strongly united team”.
Questioned on whether the Prime Minister was alienating right-wingers, she said: “We govern for the country, we don’t govern for one particular way of thinking”.
