Monday
What a day to be alive in Westminster. The most eye-catching appointment in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle was the improbable return of David Cameron. No 10 excitedly claimed later that the prime minister had been planning this since last Tuesday. In which case he allowed Suella Braverman to continue stoking division and hatred before last Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march. Not something I would want to boast about. But the resurrection of Big Dave was certainly a surprise. Not least because it rather implied that Sunak had searched through his database of 350 Conservative MPs and not found one capable of being foreign secretary. Cameron is having to be speedily elevated to the Lords to accommodate him in the cabinet. We don’t yet know if he will have to pass the Lords appointment commission; if so, he may struggle to explain his involvement in the Greensill lobbying scandal. His return is being heralded as a win for the blue-wall centrist wing of the party – if by that, you mean the posh boys. Cameron was the architect of austerity and tax cuts for the rich. Not that centrist. His foreign policy may also be out of line with Sunak. He wanted to stay in the EU and he’s a committed Sinophile. Still, Big Dave never held any position too tightly. That was part of his careless schtick. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go round the world suggesting a referendum in the Middle East. That would be bound to prolong the conflict. Not sure he’s going to be the vote-winner Sunak hopes.
