What Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet Reshuffle Means For Westminster

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It’s been a huge week for Westminster, with Suella Braverman sacked as Home Secretary, key Labour MPs resigning due to Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the surprise announcement that former PM David Cameron is back as Foreign Secretary.

The reshuffling was announced on the Conservatives’ Twitter account, with football team-esque graphics introducing the new cabinet members, many of them familiar faces. 

Perhaps most shocking was the return of former Prime Minister David Cameron, who is seen by some as a relic from the Brexit referendum years. He was in office from 2010 to 2016, first as part of a coalition government with the Lib Dems, and then leading a Tory-only cabinet from 2015, until he resigned after the Brexit Leave vote.

Cameron has been given a seat in the House of Lords, making his title Lord Cameron as of last Monday. This is because Cabinet members must be in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to hold a title such as Foreign Secretary. 

Former GB News presenter Esther McVey will serve as Minister without Portfolio, with her official role so far unclear. Yet, she has been dubbed the unofficial ‘minister of common sense’, and has said she is committed to combating ‘wokery’. Her appointment is thought to appease the more right-leaning within the Tory party.

James Cleverly will be taking over from Braverman as Home Secretary. He may be less controversial than his predecessor, but he still has a strict stance on immigration, with a tweet on the 16th November saying ‘We will not stop until the boats are stopped’. He is currently facing allegations that he called Sunak’s Rwanda scheme ‘batshit’.

Braverman was sacked after her criticism of the Met police in an article she wrote for The Times regarding the pro-Palestine protests that occurred in London last Saturday.

The conflict in Gaza has also been a contentious subject within the Labour Party. Several MPs, including Jess Philips, have resigned after calling for a ceasefire despite Starmer’s orders to abstain from the vote.