Celebrating a political comeback: Former British Prime Minister and new Foreign Minister David Cameron in London on Monday
Image: Reuters
It is unusual for a former British prime minister to join the cabinet as an ordinary minister. What does the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hope to achieve from this?
MIn Great Britain’s political glasshouse culture, a peerage is usually given to those officials and dignitaries who are retiring after more or less meritorious periods of service and are receptive to a little fame. David Cameron, on the other hand, whose six years as prime minister ended in defeat in the Brexit referendum in 2016, morphed into Lord Cameron on Monday as he made his way back into politics. The rapid appointment to the peerage was necessary because, according to unwritten British law, members of the government must have a seat in Parliament. Since Cameron also gave up his lower house mandate after resigning as prime minister six and a half years ago, he now has to take his seat as a peer in the upper house.
The peerage has another advantage from the perspective of incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – who gave his cabinet carousel a big boost on Monday. It gives Cameron, who at the age of 57 still retains some of the mischievousness of English boarding school students, a kind of statesmanlike dignity. It weakens the idea of direct political competition between the incumbent Sunak and his predecessor Cameron. In addition, Cameron’s seat in the upper chamber of parliament has the effect that, as Foreign Minister, he cannot sit on the front bench of government members in the House of Commons and therefore does not have to face the opposition’s criticism, which is presented with particular vigor in Great Britain .
#Rishi #Sunak #hopes #David #Camerons #return