Closing summary
David Cameron has made a stunning political comeback as Rishi Sunak’s foreign secretary in a cabinet reshuffle in which Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary. The prime minister, who pledged to be the “change candidate” at the Conservative conference just a month ago, turned to his centrist predecessor on Monday to help close the gap with Labour as he confirmed the ministerial team expected to lead the party into the next election.
Sunak moved James Cleverly, a moderate who was foreign secretary, to the Home Office, and confirmed that Jeremy Hunt would stay as chancellor, in a clear shift towards the centre ground that alarmed some on the right of the party.
Sunak attempted to appease the rightwing of his party by appointing Esther McVey as a Cabinet Office minister. The GB News presenter, who was one of the first to be ousted from the 2019 Conservative leadership race, is reported to have been tasked with leading the government’s anti-woke agenda, acting as a “common sense tsar”. McVey’s appointment, officially as a minister without portfolio, is one of the final moves of the prime minister’s wider reshuffle, which kicked off with Suella Braverman being sacked from his cabinet.
Thérèse Coffey resigned from her post as environment secretary. Downing Street released the exchange of letters between her and Rishi Sunak. Coffey, who was deputy PM under Liz Truss, says she is returning to the backbenches because it is the “right time” for her to leave government. In his letter replying to Thérèse Coffey, Rishi Sunak thanked her for her “years of dedicated ministerial service” and her friendship to him personally. She was replaced by Steve Barclay.
Richard Holden was made the Conservative party chair, and a minister without portfolio. He had been a junior transport minister, and replaces Greg Hands. Holden was only elected in 2019 and he represents North West Durham, which has been Labour since the 1950s. That suggests his appointment is a concession to the “red wall” faction in the party, who may feel sidelined by the reshuffle.
Greg Hands, the former Tory chair, was made a minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade. And John Glen, who was chief secretary to the Treasury, was made paymaster general in the Cabinet Office. Meanwhile, Lee Rowley is the new housing minister, No 10 announced. He was local government minister.
New health secretary Victoria Atkins signalled she would seek to resolve industrial disputes with health unions. “Our NHS matters to us all, and I look forward to working with NHS and social care colleagues to bolster services during what promises to be a very challenging winter, cut waiting lists and improve patient care,” she said.
Rachel Maclean, the housing minister, said she was disappointed to be sacked. She wrote: “I’ve been asked to step down from my role as Housing Minister. Disappointed and was looking forward to introducing the Renters Reform Bill to Committee tomorrow and later the Leasehold and Freehold Bill. It has been a privilege to hold the position and I wish my successor well.”
Meanwhile, Laura Trott was promoted from pensions minister to chief secretary to the Treasury.
Francis Maude, who served as Cabinet Office minister under David Cameron, has recommended streamlining the governance of the civil service in a report published on Monday after a year-long review. Lord Maude said the centre of government should be reorganised with a full-time “head of the civil service” role and policy adviser split from the role of cabinet secretary in order to implement widespread change. Describing the current government structures as “opaque”, “unclear” and “archaic”, Maude also recommended giving ministers a greater role in the appointment of some civil servants.
Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns – a Boris Johnson loyalist – said she has submitted a letter of no confidence in Rishi Sunak following Monday’s reshuffle. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a ‘real’ Conservative party leader.”
Downing Street implied Suella Braverman was sacked because of the tone of what she was saying, rather than because of a disagreement over policy. The press secretary said: “[The PM and Braverman] had a professional working relationship. Clearly there were some issues around language. The prime minister said he would use some of the words that she’s used before. Ultimately the prime minister reserves the right to change the team sheet at a point where he sees fit. He felt it was the right time to make some changes to his top team.”
Rachel Reeves is proposing to shake up Britain’s pension system as part of a three-pronged plan aimed at boosting the economy’s sluggish growth rate if Labour wins the next election. The shadow chancellor wants more of the money saved for retirement schemes to find its way into support for expanding UK businesses, and says her reforms could increase the size of the average pension pot by up to £37,000.
Tony Blair has let it be known that he is available if needed to help in an effort to end the growing crisis in Israel and Palestine. His office, however, denied a report in the Israeli press that he had already been offered a specific job. Blair has built extensive contacts in the Middle East, and he worked as special envoy for the Quartet – the UN, the US, the EU and Russia – after leaving No 10 in 2007, trying to build the Middle East economy.
The Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson was among those at a meeting of the rightwing New Conservatives group in Westminster on Monday night following Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle. Others in attendance included MPs Sir Simon Clarke, Sir John Hayes and Danny Kruger, PA Media reported. One member of the New Conservatives told the PA news agency the group was “far from pleased”.
Tory whip Steve Double has quit his government role to return to the backbenches. In a letter to Rishi Sunak, the MP said he informed the chief whip of his decision in September. Double said: “This is very much a personal decision based on what is right for me, as well as my family and constituents.”
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Four days ago David Cameron was having lunch with friends, including his old cabinet colleague Andrew Mitchell. If the former prime minister knew then that he would be appointed Mitchell’s boss in less than a week – the coup de grace in Monday’s dramatic government reshuffle – he did not let on.
“He didn’t mention anything about a return to government,” said one person who knows what was discussed at the lunch. “But it was clear his appetite for politics was still there.
Downing Street on Monday revealed Cameron would be taking over at the Foreign Office, in the most unexpected political return since Gordon Brown appointed Peter Mandelson as business secretary in 2008. A spokesperson said the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had approached Cameron with the idea, though would not confirm reports that the offer was made as late as this weekend.
Cameron becomes the third former prime minister to become foreign secretary since 1900, following Arthur Balfour and Alec Douglas-Home, and the third cabinet minister in recent decades to serve from the House of Lords.
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