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British Prime MinisterRishi Sunak carried out the secondcabinet reshuffle of hispremiership on 13 November 2023.Suella Braverman was replaced asHome Secretary byJames Cleverly.[1] Cleverly was replaced asForeign Secretary by the formerPrime MinisterDavid Cameron, who was made alife peer as Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton.[2][3]
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Amid rising tensions the previous week,[4] Sunak sackedSuella Braverman from her position asHome Secretary on 13 November 2023.[5] She had previously been sacked from the same position by Sunak's predecessorLiz Truss in October 2022.[6] According toThe Guardian, the trigger for her sacking was an article she wrote and published inThe Times on 8 November 2023,[7] which included a statement that there was "a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters" and were tougher on rightwing extremists thanpro-Palestinian "mobs".The Guardian reported that the Prime Minister's office had asked for changes to be made to the article, but not all were implemented.[8] She was replaced by theForeign SecretaryJames Cleverly.[9][1]
With the foreign secretary's office falling vacant, party grandeeLord Hague reportedly negotiated a deal between Sunak and the former Prime MinisterDavid Cameron that saw Cameron appointedForeign Secretary.[10][11] Since Cameron had resigned from parliament on 12 September 2016,[12] it was announced on the morning of the reshuffle that he would be appointed to alife peerage.[2] He is the first foreign secretary to serve from the House of Lords sinceLord Carrington (1979–1982) and the first former prime minister to return to Cabinet sinceAlec Douglas-Home (1970–1974).[13][6] Following the appointment of Cleverly as Home Secretary and Cameron as Foreign Secretary, all fourGreat Offices of State were held by men for the first time since 2010.[14]
TheEnvironment SecretaryThérèse Coffey announced that she had resigned after serving in the government since 2014 under five prime ministers.[15][16] Coffey was replaced by theHealth SecretarySteve Barclay, with theFinancial Secretary to the TreasuryVictoria Atkins being promoted to Health Secretary.[17]
TheMinister for the Cabinet Office andPaymaster GeneralJeremy Quin stated that, despite being asked to continue to serve in government, he had resigned from his positions.[18] He was replaced byJohn Glen, withLaura Trott being promoted to Glen's former position asChief Secretary to the Treasury.[3]
Richard Holden was appointedChairman of the Conservative Party andMinister without Portfolio followingGreg Hands' demotion to Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.[19]
The backbencherEsther McVey was appointedMinister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office.[20]
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Reactions to the reshuffle focused to a considerable extent on Cameron's "surprise" return to frontline politics.[39] TheShadow Secretary of State for Work and PensionsLiz Kendall asked theWorks and Pensions SecretaryMel Stride about unemployment, saying "it turns out the government can get the over 50s back to work, just only if they are former prime ministers".[40] Addressing theHouse of Commons during the debate on theKing's Speech, theShadow Health SecretaryWes Streeting asked, "What kind of message does it send their constituents that their own party leader cannot find a suitable candidate for foreign secretary among the 350 Conservative MPs who sit in this House?"[41]
OnTwitter, former Prime MinisterTheresa May congratulated Cameron on his appointment as Foreign Secretary, adding that the experience he acquired during his tenure as Prime Minister "will be invaluable at this time of great uncertainty in our world".[42]
Following the cabinet reshuffle,Andrea Jenkyns submitted a public letter of no confidence in Rishi Sunak.[43]
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