Former British Prime Minister David Cameron made an unexpected return to frontline politics on Monday, when British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak named him foreign secretary in a government reshuffle.
Cameron succeeds James Cleverly, who was appointed interior minister, in an unexpected move. Cameron was Britain’s leader from 2010 to 2016 until resigning after losing the Brexit referendum.
He replaced her with former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly before introducing Cameron as Cleverly’s surprise replacement.
Cameron, 57, resigned as prime minister after losing the Brexit referendum in 2016. The next year, he resigned as a member of Parliament.
In 2021, he was embroiled in a scandal after lobbying the UK government for financial business Greensill Capital, which later failed, and the episode was considered as severely hurting his reputation.
Downing Street stated that Cameron will be named a life peer in the House of Lords, Britain’s upper chamber of parliament, allowing him to sit in government.
The former leader stated that he “gladly accepted” the position because Britain was facing “a daunting set of international challenges.”
“While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience — as Conservative leader for 11 years and prime minister for six — will assist me in helping the prime minister to meet these vital challenges,” Cameron added.