David Cameron appointed foreign secretary as James Cleverly confirmed as home secretary – UK politics live

Labour has described the appointment of David Cameron as foreign secretary as a “last gasp act of desperation”. This is from David Lammy, Cameron’s shadow.

David Cameron was a disastrous PM. This is a last gasp act of desperation from a government devoid of talent and ideas.

Amid international crisis, Sunak has chosen an unelected failure from the past who MPs cannot even hold to account.

Only Labour offers the change we need

David Cameron has put a lengthy statement on X about his appointment as foreign secretary. Here is an extract in which he says supporting allies and strengthening partnerships will be a priority.

We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard …

Britain is a truly international country. Our people live all over the world and our businesses trade in every corner of the globe. Working to help ensure stability and security on the global stage is both essential and squarely in our national interest. International security is vital for our domestic security.

In a reference to his comments on the scrapping of the Manchester leg of HS2 (see 9.49am), Cameron also praises Rishi Sunak as “a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership”. He says:

Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable Prime Minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time.

The reshuffle may have a long way to go, but we now have the three main offices of state finalised.

Chancellor

Was: Jeremy Hunt

Still is: Jeremy Hunt

Home secretary

Was: Suella Braverman

Now: James Cleverly

Foreign secretary

Was: James Cleverly

Now: David Cameron

There are three clear takeaways from this.

1) Sunak has gone for a blue wall reshuffle, not a red wall reshuffle. In recent days Suella Braverman’s supporters have been saying Sunak should keep her in post to appeal to the red wall voters who backed the Tories for the first time in 2019 who, it is assumed (not always correctly) liked Braverman’s hardline approach to law and order.

Cleverly will adopt a different approach as home secretary. While not exactly a liberal, he’s a pragmatist, not an ideologue or a zealot. The appointment will go down well with the moderate Tory supporters in so-called blue wall seats (Tory seats in the south vulnerable to the Lib Dems). Blue wall Tories may also welcome the return of David Cameron, because they were happy to vote for him in 2010 and 2015.

Sunak’s top team is also the least Brexity since Theresa May’s. Two of the four people in top jobs – Cameron and Hunt – campaigned for remain. Sunak and Cleverly both backed leave, but neither of them played a leading role in that campaign and neither of them are seen as hardline Brexiters.

2) Sunak seems to have realised that running as a “change” candidate at the next election is not really plausible. This was the line he tried in his Tory conference speech (see 9.49am), but it was never plausible at the time, and after today’s reshuffle one must assume it will be given a decent burial. Of the top four in Sunak’s team, two of them were in cabinet in 2010 (Cameron and Hunt).

3) Sunak has boosted Cleverly’s status as a candidate to replace him. Cleverly liked being foreign secretary, and may not be keen on going to the Home Office, famously a graveyard for political careers. But having experience in both those departments out to help in a leadership contest. Braverman and Kemi Badenoch (among others) are both gearing to run as rightwingers. Cleverly may now be the leading candidate for MPs in the mainstream/centre – although having Sunak’s quasi-endorsement may not actually help him with the membership.

Downing Street has also confirmed that Jeremy Hunt is staying as chancellor. This is no surprise because last month No 10 briefed that he would stay in post at least until the spring budget.

(It would also have been reckless to move him just a week before the autumn statement.)

David Cameron is the next foreign secretary, and will take a seat in the House of Lords to enable him to take up the post, Patrick Wintour reports.

Downing Street has confirmed that James Cleverly is the new home secretary. He has just left No 10, but did not answer questions from journalists.

According to PA Media, Suella Braverman has said:

It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary … I will have more to say in due course.

That implies she is working on a blistering “resignation” speech, which is unlikely to be comfortable reading for Rishi Sunak.

Nick Gibb says he is standing down as schools minister.

Over the last few weeks I have been discussing taking up a diplomatic role after the general election. To enable me to do so I have asked the Prime Minister if I can step down from the government at the reshuffle and he has agreed.

Gibb has been minister for school standards for a total of about 10 years, being sacked twice, and then reappointed twice by prime ministers who realised he was good at the job. According to a recent report from the Institute for Government, school standards is about the only area where public services improved between 2010 and the pandemic and this is probably connected to the fact that the minister in charge did not keep changing every 12 months, as happens in most other portfolios.

Gibb has also announced that he is standing down as MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton at the next election. His majority there at the last election was 22,503.

David Cameron, the former prime minister, has arrived at No 10, Sky News reports.

Perhaps he is there for a meeting on Alzheimer’s – he is president of Alzheimer’s Research UK – but that seems unlikely. And so is he going to be offered a post in the reshuffle? Foreign secretary? No ex-PM has taken a cabinet job for more than 50 years, but the last one to do it was Alex Douglas-Home, who was appointed foreign secretary by Edward Heath in 1970, six years after he lost a general election.

Cameron is not in parliament, but Rishi Sunak could put him in the Lords if he did want him in cabinet.

Alternatively, he might be offering him some sort of non-ministerial role.

James Cleverly is the new home secretary, the Sun’s Harry Cole reports.