Second cabinet reshuffle undertaken by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak carried out the second cabinet reshuffle of his premiership on 13 November 2023. Suella Braverman was replaced as Home Secretary by James Cleverly. Cleverly was replaced as Foreign Secretary by the former Prime Minister David Cameron, who was made a life peer as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton.
Changes.
Amid rising tensions the previous week, Sunak sacked Suella Braverman from her position as Home Secretary on 13 November 2023. She had previously been sacked from the same position by Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss in October 2022. According to "The Guardian", the trigger for her sacking was an article she wrote and published in "The Times" on 8 November 2023, which included a statement that there was "a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters" and were tougher on rightwing extremists than pro-Palestinian "mobs". "The Guardian" reported that the Prime Minister's office had asked for changes to be made to the article, but not all were implemented. She was replaced by the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
With the foreign secretary's office falling vacant, party grandee Lord Hague reportedly negotiated a deal between Sunak and the former Prime Minister David Cameron that saw Cameron appointed Foreign Secretary. Since Cameron had resigned from parliament on 12 September 2016, it was announced on the morning of the reshuffle that he would be appointed to a life peerage. He is the first foreign secretary to serve from the House of Lords since Lord Carrington (1979–1982) and the first former prime minister to return to Cabinet since Alec Douglas-Home (1970–1974). Following the appointment of Cleverly as Home Secretary and Cameron as Foreign Secretary, all four Great Offices of State are held by men for the first time since 2010.
The Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey announced that she had resigned after serving in the government since 2014 under five prime ministers. Coffey was replaced by the Health Secretary Steve Barclay, with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins being promoted to Health Secretary.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General Jeremy Quin stated that, despite being asked to continue to serve in government, he had resigned from his positions. He was replaced by John Glen, with Laura Trott being promoted to Glen's former position as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Richard Holden was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio following Greg Hands' demotion to Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.
The backbencher Esther McVey was appointed Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office.
Reaction.
Reactions to the reshuffle focused to a considerable extent on Cameron's "surprise" return to frontline politics. The Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall asked the Works and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride about unemployment, saying "it turns out the government can get the over 50s back to work, just only if they are former prime ministers". Addressing the House of Commons during the debate on the King's Speech, the Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting asked, "What kind of message does it send their constituents that their own party leader cannot find a suitable candidate for foreign secretary among the 350 Conservative MPs who sit in this House?"
On Twitter, former Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Cameron on his appointment as Foreign Secretary, adding that the experience he acquired during his tenure as Prime Minister "will be invaluable at this time of great uncertainty in our world".
Following the cabinet reshuffle, Andrea Jenkyns submitted a public letter of no confidence in Rishi Sunak.
References.
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