As an American, I know I’m not one to talk about soap-opera politics, but wow, the British government is particularly bonkers right now. About thirteen months ago, Liz Truss was ousted as prime minister. The woman could not outlast a head of lettuce. Truss’s Tory replacement is Rishi Sunak. Sunak is seemingly a steadier hand than Truss, but again, a head of lettuce was a steadier hand than Liz Truss. Sunak, his government and the Tories are all deeply unpopular.
One of the most despised figures in the Sunak government was Suella Braverman, the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Every week, Braverman made international news for some new dystopian policy or cruel statement. One of her latest kerfuffles was writing an unauthorized op-ed about policing of pro-Palestinian protests in the UK. Braverman literally just attended all of the Remembrance events this weekend, and then bright and early on Monday, Sunak fired her. Not only that, but Sunak has appointed former prime minister David Cameron to take over as Foreign Secretary in his cabinet reshuffle.
Britain’s beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak carried out a dramatic reshuffle to his Cabinet on Monday, firing his divisive home secretary and bringing back former premier David Cameron to the heart of government after a seven-year absence from politics.
The hardline Home Secretary Suella Braverman was sacked early on Monday morning, after making inflammatory comments about the policing of pro-Palestinian protests in central London over the weekend. Her tenure had wrought with scandals and divisive remarks, which had long caused fractures in Sunak’s government.
Sunak then announced he was bringing Cameron back to frontline politics as foreign secretary, in a stunning move that has few parallels in recent British political history. Cameron served as prime minister from 2010 to 2016, resigning after Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum that he had called. His premiership set the course of 13 years of Conservative rule, but the self-inflicted chaos of the Brexit referendum and its aftermath threw his party into years of instability from which it is still struggling to emerge.
Downing Street confirmed that James Cleverly, formerly the foreign secretary, will take over from Braverman, a shift that made space for Cameron’s remarkable return to Cabinet.
Braverman had served as Sunak’s interior minister throughout his tenure in Downing Street, but her confrontational rhetoric towards migrants, protesters, the police and even the homeless had caused rifts in the government and sparked speculation that she was plotting a future leadership bid. She most recently courted criticism by accusing London’s police force of applying “double standards” in the way they manage protests, in an op-ed in the Times of London newspaper condemning a pro-Palestinian march that Downing Street said had not been cleared by Sunak.
It’s funny but also just… sad. I feel bad for all of the people suffering under thirteen years of disastrous Tory rule, and the reemergence of David Cameron should hopefully mark the last days of this Tory sh-tshow. Cameron’s Brexit vote – and the mismanagement of the vote – really started this seven-year descent of Tory psychodrama.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
That photo of Suella 😂
If she stood next to Kate in that outfit, they’d be one half of Sgt Peppers lol
I know, right!? And she looks about as stress free as Kate too.
😂😂😂😂 It’s like “This is your life” in one photo 😭
@SUNSHINEINFIJI, 🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂
The dress is the least offensive thing about that alien.
I refuse to call her a woman or human being as any species associated with her would be offended. She’s an evil POS.
2024 cannot come soon enough.
To all UK electors, please ask for a passport or photo document NOW because we need to go all to vote and send those scroungers in oblivion (next, the BRF!)
You can see the evil inside, it’s written on her face.
She was clearly trying to get fired because she has bigger ambitions. She is a nasty piece of work who won’t go quietly.
She could have just resigned. Ambitious people do that.
I am glad Suella is gone but the rest of the Tories don’t give me much hope. The Tories have really pushed me towards advocating for independence. Who wants to be ruled by this lot?
I’m English Sadie (booooooo) but if I was Scottish, I’d be on the independence train for sure if I could avoid being ruled by these clowns.
And agreed, good riddance Suella but thats like taking just 1 of the 5 pieces of poop in your sandwich out and hoping it will taste alright
Same Sadie, I’m now seriously advocating for independence as I cannot stand to be ruled by this lot and their utter contempt for us which was laid out at the Covid Inquiry.
My fear now is that Sue Ellen is using this as her martyr moment and will make sure all the right wing Tories pull their support from Sunak and back her in a leadership challenge. The only way forward is a general election and independence referendum.
My husband is Scottish and was a lifelong unionist until last year, he’s now become a fervent rabid supporter. Unfortunately we live in England so he wouldn’t be able to vote anyway.
Banana republic for sure… First of, Cameron is not an MP and won’t appear in the HoC, I believe. He has been made baron I think. Secondly, Suella (or better Cruela) also said that living in a tent (homeless people) is a lifestyle choice. And thirdly, we are still a year away from a GE, which makes this whole situation all the more exasperating!
Banana Republic the UK is not a fading empire it is.
I dont understand this move. Foreign secretary is a key role. As a lord Cameron cannot enter the commons chamber. Not a good look given the current situation in the middle east.
I think the Tory bench is weak and given all the global hotspots right now Sunak needed to bring Cameron in because he didn’t have a better option.
Unelected Prime Minister appoints an Unelected Foreign Secretary on an island where the Head of the Government is an Unelected King. All of them tainted by financial scandals, poor judgment and integrity and from wealthy privileged backgrounds!!! Shutter Island
Thank you for the highly accurate summary. I saw the headlines this morning and couldn’t understand how someone who isn’t an MP can hold a cabinet role. There is no way to hold them to account as they are entirely unelected. Where are the consequences for his actions?
While I strongly believe a change of leader should automatically trigger an election, at least we can vote on Sunak (assuming he lasts that long) when the election finally comes around.
One does not have to be an MP or a peer to become a cabinet minister. Cameron, as a former PM and before that a former opposition party leader, is already a privy counsellor. The PM and his cabinet heads the government in the king’s name, therefore in official documents, it is HM government, ergo King Charles’s III government. It’s his government. This government is also synonymous as the king’s privy council. You only need to be a privy counsellor to serve in the privy council. Gradully, the power of the government business became monopolised by the cabinet, which is the sub-committee of privy council. So there is no legal problem that Cameron isn’t MP. He doesn’t have need to be a lord to assume the position in the cabinet. His privy council membership entails it, seeing as the counsellors are providing counsel with the king.
This woman is a self hating,self loathing lost soul if i ever saw one. But this circus is never ending so she could be back by next week.
Absolutely this! The Tories are a carousel of crazy/dysfunction.
The Tories has a wake-up call in the last elections where Labour won in a few places for the first time. Sunak is kind of like Youngkin (Virginia, USA) in that he comes across as staid next to BoJo (Trumpian), but his politics are awful. The fact that he willfully, on purpose, added Braverman says a lot about HIS politics. As does trying to save his skin by pushing Braverman out and acquiring the far more moderate Cameron for her role. I’m glad for the UK that Suella is gone!
Cameron is not Home Secretary he’s Foreign Secretary. James Cleverley is the new Home Secretary and he’s no different to Suella in my opinion. I think Rishi Sunak political instincts are terrible.
Thanks, Amy Bee—I should have read that more carefully!
Cameron has the “saving the NHS” reputation. Pretty sure then that James Cleverley will subtly carry on and the Tories will use Cameron as an image booster for the next elections.
@ML: Bringing him back at all is just a bad move.
Bringing back the man who is Brexit to happen as Foreign Sec is just really the worst joke going. You couldn’t make it up.
It’s like watching a carousel of incompetents. (the gop is no better imo)
Sunak did not add Braverman – the ERG did. That was likely the deal for him to be unelected PM as they wanted Penny Mourdant and Liv Truss above him for the obvious reason.
Sunak has realised he is the glass cliff guy hence why he has brought in Cameroon to power broker for him accross the back benches. Cameron is seen as small C One Nation Tory i.e. moderate. So he also occupies the same position as Starmer to coax away the dissoloutioned swing voters.
In any case it won’t work – Tories are will be OOO for at least a decade.
Flower, I’m a US citizen living in Europe. I tend to look at how politicians behave/ vote as opposed to what they “are.” I would argue, and I get most of my British daily info from the left-leaning Guardian so this may not be entirely accurate, that Sunak is a rather pragmatic ERG politician with a much nicer reputation. Back in Spring, The Guardian published this: https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/18/why-rishi-sunak-is-perhaps-the-most-socially-conservative-pm-of-his-generation
I don’t think he had very much issues with SB when he brought her back.
I actually think it’s beneficial move, esp now. Cameron had to make good a pledge to have the referendum on whether to stay in the EU or not; the promise had been made for years before. He didn’t want to leave, and didn’t think we would vote to go. Why do I think it’s a good move to have him back? Whatever your politics, whether you bemoan what the Tories have done or not, whether you want them out the door or not, I welcome someone who has some idea of what he’s doing. I think Sunak has made a good call here. International politics from a UK perspective, now more than ever, need some kind of steadying hand, and at this point in history that hand has to be a Tory one, whatever personal preferences are.
Political parties break pledges all the time. He did not have to go through with it. He also could have chosen not to make that pledge in the first place.
What a disaster! This latest move can only mean that Rishi Sunak intends to call an election early next year. It is the only way to explain installing David Cameron as Foreign Secretary.
I don’t think so in her case. I think she is either
1. A spy/saboteur.
2. She has whole-heartedly bought into the “british empire” thing.
I first heard about her with the “grooming gangs” campaign. It was obvious she was just trying to get attention. With this latest racist screed more of her background is being exposed. She lied her way to prominence. Once she became home secretary she has actively tried to alienate england from the world. Is she just a war hawk? Seems to me she wants Britain to fail. She was also sinking Sunak election campaign.
Suella is only 43, the Tories use brown people to front all their racist policies, where is Priti Patel now?
In addition to Rishi, Suella, and Priti, there have been Nadhim Zahawi (born in Iraq) and Sajid Javid (parents from Pakistan) in government recently. Plus Kwasi Kwarteng, whose parents are from Ghana, Sam Gyimah (born in London, raised in Ghana), the Indian-born Alok Sharma and Kemi Badenoch (of Nigerian descent).
These are the black and brown politicians still holding offices (or at least until very recently) that I can think of right now, starting with Cameron’s cabinet. There may be more, I didn’t look.
With so many people from different cultural backgrounds, I wouldn’t expect them to be such hard-line anti-immigrant people, demanding cuts to social housing, weakening the NHS etc etc.
Nanea, they are trying to show that they are just as good as the old gaurd.
The problem is the old gaurd is using them to look good. Let the ethnic folks be seen holding the bag before a reset.
Now we will see how smart Sunak is. How does Sunak turn this around if he wants to win election next year. His father paid a fortune for his education. Let’s see if those English schools are worth it.
The Tory policies, much like the Republican policies in the US, seem far right templates from the same playbook financed by deep-pocketed outside interests. The immigration policies alone seem bent on eliciting fear in the populace and creating boogeymen out of the wrong groups of people. Who’s behind the concerted efforts at chaos in the “Western democracies”? Russia? Saudi Arabia? Iran? China? All of the above? Side note on the photos: Comrade BoJo looks demented (yet again).
Right wing populism is all the rage (excuse the pun) worldwide. I don’t remember another time when democracy was so universally under siege.
Agree!
Kind reminder that the Tories never won the majority of the vote.
They had 43.6% in the last elections.
It’s only because, like in the USA, votes go by district that they can take power like this.
My country’s politics is quite wacky nowadays and far from perfect, but a government can only be formed by a majority. So parties will have to form a coalition to get more than 50% of seats in parliament, since no party gets anywhere near 51%. This usually makes for a coalition that is somewhere near the middle. They can then decide who out of those parties takes up what ministry post. The PM is generally from the biggest out of them.
If the Tories had been here, they would have likely had to make a coalition with a party that is somewhat left of theirs as anything further right is fringe and a section of the people who would vote Tory hold their nose up for that, which would temper the excesses somewhat.
Another advantage is that smaller parties do have a say and can actually end up in parliament. So a party specifically focusing on older people’s needs or animals, can be in the government.
A disadvantage is that it can take a while before a government being formed, especially when there are more and more parties with seats in parliament and the bigger parties getting viewer votes. A coalition therefore needs to be made of several parties that all have their own points they want to focus on and which can sometimes clash.
It’s already clear beforehand that the green party can’t form a coalition with the farmer’s party, or that the pro-employers party won’t form a coalition with the socialist party. The more in the middle they are, the more chances that they can work with more parties and be part of government.
The Tories formed a coalition government with the Lib Dems in 2010, which kicked off this 13 year dystopian nightmare. Coalition can also work in unintended ways, with moderate parties being dragged to extremes (see the rise of far right parties in Europe) in order to stay in power. No system is perfect, although I agree that – until relative recently – coalition governments can also temper the excesses of two-party competition.
Johnson’s victory was massive, taking Labour seats by the shed load. He did this using a populist manifesto that brought out the worst in people and failed them considerably. It was an amazing victory for himself, rather than the country; the man wanted power not to do good but to bolster his own ego. He thoroughly enjoys making people think he’s a buffoon, but gets the last laugh. He is a controlling man in control of his own image. Many Tory friends of ours were as devastated as our Labour and Lib Dem friends; they knew he would be a joke and a disaster. I have a Tory relative who can’t speak about him without going into a full on rant. He can’t stand the man.
What a tool Michael Grove is walking through a protest to get attention, was he looking for his next toy boy, or does he get a ‘High’ walking through protests?
His No neck ex-wife Sarah Vine is still toiling in filth at the Dailyfail.
His whole background is one of “social charity”. Most of his life is an example of “goodwill”. Can’t believe how delusional he is.
This government is filled with self-hating people. They walk through the door and slam it behind them.
I’m English Sadie (booooooo) but if I was Scottish, I’d be on the independence train for sure if I could avoid being ruled by these clowns.
And agreed, good riddance Suella but thats like taking just 1 of the 5 pieces of poop in your sandwich out and hoping it will taste alright
Show me a nasty, selfish bsd and I will show you a tory mp. This government will go down in history as the one that destroyed the UK! They have decimated our economy, destroyed our NHS, cut police forces, caused a massive cost of living crisis and are now in the process of destroying our steel industry. Cameron is just another millionaire clown joining a circus full of them. If you want the full measure of the contempt this sht shower show our troops and veterans, take a close look at cruellas poppy pin, it’s dated 2022!! she couldn’t even be bothered to get a new one to support the British LEGION. DISGUSTING
American here. From what I’m gathering Braverman became a political liability for Sunak and the Tories so she had to go. She became the face of the civil unrest over the weekend.
There’s also a line of thought that this is part of her posturing ahead of a far-right run for the leadership position when it becomes vacant after the next election. Pushing him so far that he had to fire her was part of the play.
I had never heard of this woman before last week. I’m American too so while I follow British politics a bit and know the PM, I didn’t know who all of his cabinet members were.
I’m also Jewish and I know that she came out and said that Jewish people in London and the UK were feeling unsafe, and that there was a lot of expression of Anti-Semitism on the streets. She wasn’t wrong about that, so I appreciated the show of support. But then she came out with a statement that went a lot further.
This has been a weird time. I find myself feeling betrayed by representatives of the party for which I always vote, and supported by other politicians with whom I disagree about almost everything.
“This has been a weird time. I find myself feeling betrayed by representatives of the party for which I always vote, and supported by other politicians with whom I disagree about almost everything.”
When I find myself in a position like this I ask myself could I be wrong? Is there some way I am reacting that goes against my philosophy? Realizing that you are now aligned with those you usually disagree with should be a red flag and a reason to reflect. Strangely, I see some anti-Trump people who deeply hate Meghan Markle. They obviously discern that Trump is a dangerous, ignorant grifter, yet they themselves repeat the words of racist anti-Meghan grifters. It wows me. They do not see the parallels. What often guides them to hating Meghan, a person they don’t know, is deep down mistrust of a black woman who they believe stole their prince and is a gold-digger. That misogynoir reaction is embedded and decades old. It cannot be rooted out until it is acknowledged.
Likewise, some Jews seeing pro Palestinian protests immediately react as though it is anti Jewish prejudice. Most pro Palestinian sentiment is a human reaction to this tragedy of genocide we are witnessing. People can hold two beliefs at once; a) that Jewish people are amazing and deserving of respect and b) that Palestinians should not be bombed into oblivion
This is really interesting, AnneL. It’s such a time of extremes, and therefore a time of confliction for someone who falls between religious identity and party affiliation. My family background means that half of it is wealthy right wing, and half of it a generation back brought up Communist. It pushes and pulls, and I don’t place continued full belief in any one party or any one idea. I hover in the middle, and move to the left more often than not. We also have family ties across the region, some of whom welcomed her words, some of whom didn’t. However, she is an extremist, happy to spout populist rhetoric, and it’s good that she’s gone.
@Sunnee The situation in Palestine is horrific, but it does not meet the definition of genocide.
I’m really pleased, personally. Yes, Cameron was the architect of the long promised referendum on Europe, but has said he sincerely thought we’d vote “with our heads not our hearts” and stay. I’m a centre/centre left Brit, but by heavens do we need a steady Tory hand to help steer the ship at this point in time, given that the Conservatives are in power whether we like it or not.
Oh, please. Cameron is a fucking idiot who promised a referendum on EU membership to get the far right votes and then proceeded to do a complete mess of it. Didn’t set it up properly, campaigned like shit, and then ran away when he saw the clusterfuck that was coming. Sure does sound like the steady hand the UK needs.
At this point, he is the best of a bad lot. The Tories are in power for a few months yet, and I can’t think of another one I’d rather have doing this job, esp given the international political climate at the moment. To me it’s a case of relief and pragmatism: she had to go, who else could they get? The party is an absolute shambles with very few personnel options.
The sinking of the tory party has to be the longest sinking in History. Watching it happen live is truly something because you wonder how there are still people blowing holes in the ship. Sunak won’t call a general election but I don’t think there will be much of a party left when he does call it.
Problem is he doesn’t need to call out an election, the next one is in May 2024 so unless he goes full Putin and UK becomes a dictatorship, the Tories will be wiped out in 7 months, hence all this wasting time replacing people in the government, they’re not legislating at present.
I follow the politics live on the Guardian and they were saying that he could actually tried to drag the whole process until next Halloween so I don’t know. And also this afternoon they were saying that he wouldn’t have sacked Cruella and put Cameron back if he wasn’t thinking on the longer term. I can’t wait for the general election, this is going to be so bad.
The Conservative talent pool is so shallow and sad. How do they keep winning?
Populism. Whatever you think of Farage, he is a one issue conviction politician and has changed the UK more than anyone else has in decades. Johnson, however, jumped on the Brexit bandwagon for nothing else than personal gain, and spewed populist rhetoric in the process. I grew up with Radio 4 and listened every day, until I couldn’t stand Johnson’s voice any longer and switched to Radio 3 (I’ve never gone back). Cameron is actually the opposite of this and I welcome his return. What is going on around the world is changing by the day, with momentous implications for all countries, and at this point we need a foreign sec with some intellect to help us through, even if it’s for the last few months of Tory power. At this point, every day counts.
ps that sounds as if I’m a little Englander, pro farage-r. Not at all! Just that at least he believed what he said. Johnson took up the anti EU baton but with zero belief. It was all a game to him. And Rees-Mogg. Leaving the EU was a disaster, and the day after the vote was complete sadness.
She deserved it. Her words incited violence at Remembrance events and Pro-Palestinian protests. White Supremacists came out to harass people who were peacefully protesting.