Britain’s new Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, will need little introduction to world leaders, diplomats and voters.
The former Prime Minister has returned to frontline politics, joining Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet seven years after his failure to win the 2016 Brexit referendum effectively cut short his political career.
The last image of Mr Cameron most voters will remember was outside Number 10, announcing his resignation the morning after millions of Britons – many of those in the North East ¬- voted to leave the European Union.
It was a long way from the electoral success that saw the now Lord Cameron defeat Gordon Brown in 2010 to enter Number 10, having sought to detoxify the Tory brand after years in the opposition wilderness.
It is because of this, and his subsequent success in leading the Conservatives to a majority election win five years later, that means many in the party are pleased to see his return. He knows world leaders and his statesman-like approach will ensure Britain has a role to play in major world affairs.
But where does this leave Mr Sunak? Weeks after promising long term decisions for a brighter future, he reverts to the past and an ex-PM whose legacy will forever be remembered for the political carnage that unfolded in the hours, days, weeks and months after the referendum.
Nobody saw this coming, but did Sunak? If he had an array of talent to choose from in the Tory ranks, he surely wouldn’t have taken such a huge risk, which could cause him considerable headaches in the run up to the election.
Is it a sign that he needs help? An admission that he needs new ideas and direction in his inner circle? Admitting you need help is a sign of strength, but how vocal will Cameron be? When Steve Gibson brought in Terry Venables to muster up Middlesbrough’s great escape from Premier League relegation in the winter of 2000, there was always going to be no way back for Bryan Robson. If the former PM can take the headlines for successful foreign policies in Ukraine or the Middle East, the current one could be in trouble.
And what will those MPs in the red wall make of all this? Many won their seats under Boris Johnson in 2019 – a totally different era of Conservatism that has since been purged. Cameron’s election success involved sweeping the southern seats, and left the North with nothing but the bitter taste of austerity. With the sacking of controversial Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Sunak clearly wants to move the party back to the centre, but voters who turned those seats blue four years ago are unlikely to give their backing to a posh, establishment backing, Europe supporting switch.
It also adds flames to the argument from those who claim this is an unelected government. Sunak hasn’t won the support of the country – as things stand he may never – and Cameron hasn’t won the support of anyone for seven years, but has been rocketed into a position of power. He will also escape having to face regular grillings by MPs because of his position in the House of Lords.
Few returns to the political frontline have been as unexpected as this. Lord Cameron will hope, on the second time of asking, he can secure a more successful legacy on the global stage.
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