DAVID Cameron’s return to Government as an unelected peer has sparked outrage across politics, not least in Scotland – a country hauled out of the EU against its will because of a referendum he launched.
The SNP’s deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black said Scotland will be “appalled” after the former PM was named Foreign Secretary on Monday as well as being made a life peer.
Cameron is not an MP and so has had to be handed a seat in the House of Lords in order to fulfil his duties.
Black said the decision to bring back Cameron showed how “tired” the Tory Government was.
She said: "The fact that Rishi Sunak has had to resurrect David Cameron shows how tired this Tory government is. People in Scotland will be appalled that the architect of thirteen years of Tory austerity cuts, and the disastrous Brexit referendum, is back in Government.
"David Cameron's damaging Tory policies slashed Scotland's budget, hammered the economy, pushed millions into poverty and cut vital public services. And his catastrophic error of judgement on Brexit is the biggest UK foreign policy disaster since the Iraq war - and has set the UK on a path to long-term decay and decline.
"The only way to get rid of Westminster Tory governments for good is independence - and it's clearer than ever Scotland needs to escape Westminster control. Independent European countries like Scotland are wealthier and fairer than the UK. So the question is - why not Scotland?"
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said the appointment of Cameron – who will not be answerable to the Commons – was “truly remarkable” as he insisted the UK is “not a serious country”.
He tweeted: “Truly remarkable that during a time of huge international unrest, not least in Ukraine and Gaza, the House of Commons will not be able to directly scrutinise the work of the actual Foreign Secretary. The UK is not a serious country.”
Cameron – who resigned as an MP in 2016 – said he hoped his “experience” as Tory leader for 11 years and PM for six will “assist me in helping the Prime Minister to meet these vital challenges”, referencing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Former first minister Alex Salmond, now leader of the Alba Party, said he had "no problem" with Cameron's return as he had always found him "decent and honourable".
But he added the appointment was a sign of how Brexit had been a "disaster".
He said: "This appointment represents two crushing admissions from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
"Firstly, recalling David Cameron as a Time Lord is a damning indictment of the abysmal mediocrity of the present parliamentary Tory Party. He has benches stuffed with Tory MPs and not a single one of them is fit to be foreign secretary.
"Secondly, David Cameron’s return as Foreign Secretary is a devastating acceptance that Brexit has been an expensive and desultory disaster.
"Every European leader will see the return of the arch-remainer as Foreign Secretary as representing that truth and the current Prime Minister should now face it and take appropriate action."
The Scottish Greens called Cameron’s return to the Cabinet “bizarre” and “desperate”.
Co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “This is a monumental misjudgement that exposes the utter weakness of a tired and broken government that can’t even find enough talent on its own benches to fill a cabinet. This isn’t leadership, it is desperation.
“The sight of David Cameron back in government is one that few will welcome, particularly in Scotland where we were dragged out of Europe against our will.
“It is a slap in the face to everyone who has had to endure the disaster of Brexit, which was one of the biggest self inflicted foreign policy disasters the UK has ever witnessed.
“We all remember the first time. We remember the cuts and austerity that he inflicted on the most marginalised communities and the total failure of the Brexit that he was responsible for and that has caused so much damage.
“The end of this Tory government can’t come soon enough.”
There has so far been no word from Labour leader Keir Starmer on the surprise appointment but the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the move was a hypocritical one by Rishi Sunak, who was bringing back his predecessor as a “life raft”.
He said: “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.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described it as “the last throw of the dice” for a Government at the end of its days.
“It demonstrates the ultimate contradiction in Rishi Sunak,” he told LBC.
“He talked about a 30-year consensus he had to break away from and that he was the change candidate.
“He’s brought back a former PM who just a matter of weeks ago was calling out Rishi Sunak for making the wrong decisions that were taking our country backwards.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain was also critical, saying: “The Government showed clearly in last week’s lacklustre King’s Speech that they are out of ideas. Now with David Cameron returning to Cabinet, they are showing that they are out of talent too.
“It is also concerning that we will have a Foreign Secretary who can’t be questioned by MPs on the hugely important issues the country is facing.”
