A Monash University expert is available to talk about UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle, including the sacking of Home Affairs Secretary Suella Braverman and the appointment of former Prime Minister David Cameron to Foreign Secretary.
Associate Professor Ben Wellings, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations
Contact details: +61 421 470 181 or Ben.Wellings@monash.edu
Read more of Associate Professor Wellings’ commentary at Monash Lens
The following can be attributed to Associate Professor Wellings:
“Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle finally managed to take the headlines away from his controversial former Home Secretary Suiella Braverman. Braverman was widely seen as using the post of Home Secretary [interior minister] as a platform for her own leadership ambitions by stoking controversy on issues designed to win support from the hard-right of the ruling Conservative party. Sunak needed to fire her from Cabinet and this he did, bolstering his position as an effective Prime Minister.
“Sacking Braverman came as no surprise, but putting former Prime Minister David Cameron back into UK politics as Foreign Secretary did. This is a bold move ahead of an election likely late next year. Cameron will bring experience to the role, but he also comes with some baggage. This is mostly in the form of his role in the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Brexiteers don't like him for campaigning to keep the UK in the EU, whereas Remainers see him as the man who lost the Brexit referendum. He is a moderate Conservative, so he may not appeal to the loud voices on the Conservative right. This will matter less in his role on the world stage, where he faces challenges in shoring up support for Ukraine, and responding to the crisis in Gaza which is a very live issue in the UK.
“However, reappointing a former PM by making him a member of the House of Lords to get him into government does not suggest that there is a large pool of talent on the Conservative benches to fill critical government roles.”
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