ITV News is reporting that Suella Braverman has been sacked as home secretary and former prime minister David Cameron has been made foreign secretary after Rishi Sunak began a major Cabinet reshuffle.
In a highly unusual move, Mr Sunak asked Mr Cameron to return to government and appointed him to the House of Lords so this could be achieved.
Ms Braverman was sacked after defying Number 10 by writing an article criticising the Metropolitan Police over the way it allowed pro-Palestinian protests to take place on Armistice Day.
Mr Sunak asked her to leave government on Monday morning after a weekend of violence and racism in London involving far right and pro-Palestinian protesters – with Ms Braverman’s rhetoric being blamed for causing the chaos.
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Ms Braverman, who has been tipped as a future Conservative leader and enjoys huge support in the right wing of the party, issued a statement indicating she may not leave government quietly.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary. I will have more to say in due course,” she said.
Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns criticised the prime minister’s decision to sack her, writing on X: “I support @SuellaBraverman. Sacked for speaking the truth. Bad call by Rishi caving in to the left!”
Confirming a shift at the top of government, a statement from Downing Street said: “The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon David Cameron as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
“His Majesty has also been pleased to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon David Cameron.”
Labour attacked the prime minister’s decision to appoint Mr Cameron, who resigned in 2016 as prime minister after losing the Brexit referendum.
The party’s national campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden said: “A few weeks ago Rishi Sunak said David Cameron was part of a failed status quo, now he’s bringing him back as his life raft.
“This puts to bed the Prime Minister’s laughable claim to offer change from 13 years of Tory failure.”
Rishi Sunak reshuffles his Cabinet
The prime minister is now carrying out a ministerial reshuffle, which a Number 10 source said “strengthens his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future”.
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James Cleverley made home secretary – the former foreign secretary has been promoted to replace Suella Braverman.
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David Cameron becomes foreign secretary – the former prime minister has replaced James Cleverly as foreign secretary in a highly unusual move by Mr Sunak
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Jeremy Hunt – despite speculation he would be sacked as chancellor in a reshuffle, the senior minister has kept his job
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Nick Gibb – MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton resigned as schools minister and announced he will not stand at next election
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Neil O’Brien – Harborough MP stood down as a care minister as the reshuffle was confirmed
Why was Suella Braverman sacked as home secretary?
Mrs Braverman’s removal from Cabinet follows widespread criticism of an unauthorised article written by Braverman, criticising the way pro-Palestinian protests had been policed.
She faced calls to resign after writing in The Times that “pro-Palestinian mobs” were “largely ignored” by police “even when clearly breaking the law” and accused officers of “double standards” when it came to right-wing protests.
Several politicians slammed Braverman’s approach to the Armistice Day protests, after she was accused of stoking tensions.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said he does not “know what is going on” as he was told during a live broadcast interview about Braverman.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) he had not received any confirmation of that development and that “you know more of what is going on than I do”.
Armed forces minister James Heappey received news of Suella Braverman’s sacking during a live interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain
Asked whether the decision came as a surprise to him, he said: “The prime minister makes these decisions and I’ve said I would not have used the words that the Home Secretary used in her opinion piece last week.”
Asked whether he felt Mrs Braverman had done a good job as home secretary, Heappey replied: “The Home Office is an incredibly demanding brief within which there are a number of issues which are very politically contentious and where, frankly, there is no obviously right answer.
“And in that sense it takes a politician who is courageous and has the confidence in their convictions to do the job well and there are lots of things that Suella Braverman as home secretary has done well.
“I’ve made no secret in the course of this interview with my disagreement with some of the words she used in her piece (last) week. Your viewers will be enjoying my discomfort but it is in this case difficult to offer commentary when I just don’t know what is going on.”