London, Nov 13 (EFE).- Former British Prime Minister David Cameron was named as the new foreign secretary in a major cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that also saw Home Secretary Suella Braverman being removed from her position.
Downing Street officials, cited by local media, said Sunak appointed James Cleverly as the new home secretary following Braverman’s dismissal.
The decision came amid controversy over Braverman’s criticism of the police, accusing them of being too lenient on pro-Palestinian protesters.
Braverman’s replacement, Cleverly, was previously serving as the foreign secretary.
Sources from the Conservative Party confirmed that Sunak is reshuffling the cabinet in preparation for next year’s general election.
After Sunak’s announcement, Braverman said serving as home secretary was a huge privilege, and she would speak more in due course.
Cameron, who served as prime minister from 2010 to 2016, makes a return to mainstream politics, taking over as head of foreign affairs from Cleverly.
As he is not a current member of parliament, a requirement for ministerial roles, Cameron is expected to be nominated to the House of Lords.
In recent days, opposition parties had called for Sunak to remove Braverman from the government over her article last week in “The Times” newspaper, ahead of a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London during the weekend.
Braverman had asked the capital’s Metropolitan Police to ban the march for fear of rioting and for encouraging anti-Semitism, but security forces refused to do so.
More than 300,000 people took to the streets of central London on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The police arrested more than 80 people, part of a far-right group, who were seeking to cause unrest during the march, whose final destination was the US embassy.
Opposition parties have accused the now-former minister of emboldening and encouraging far-right groups with her article.
Sunak was expected to reshuffle the cabinet towards the end of the year, however it was brought forward after the controversy caused by Braverman, according to analysts. EFE
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