What does David Cameron’s return mean for British politics?

Britain’s former prime minister David Cameron has made a political comeback no one saw coming. Remembered by most for his Brexit legacy, the 57-year-old is the United Kingdom’s new foreign secretary. British PM Rishi Sunak’s surprising move to bring back Cameron to the front-line of the country’s politics is seen as a “risky gamble” by observers.

In a wider Cabinet reshuffle, Sunak also sacked the controversial UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, replacing her with (now-former foreign secretary) James Cleverly. Both the firing of Braverman and the return of Cameron are big developments for the UK which goes to polls in just a year.

We will try to explain here what David Cameron’s political comeback means for the UK.

‘Desperate’ move

Rishi Sunak is facing an uphill battle as his ruling Conservative Party trails behind the Opposition Labour Party in the opinion polls. Cameron’s return is being viewed as a “desperate” step by the UK PM amid what seems like an abject defeat for the Tories in the 2025 UK general elections.

According to BBC, by including a familiar and experienced face in his Cabinet, Sunak can argue he is “bringing the Conservative family back together.” However, The Guardian said in its analysis that Cameron’s appointment might appease the moderates in the Tory Party but ruffle the feathers of the far-right.

“(Sunak) is trying to look to others who might represent a smoother form of government than he’s been able to deliver,” Toby Helm, political editor of The Observer, told BBC. But “it may look like he can’t find enough sensible people in his own party,” he added.

“Cameron will come across as a competent, appealing foreign secretary to some,” Helm stated. “But I think the imagery that surrounds him, the impression that appointment gives, is somewhat desperate.”

Scotland’s political party the Scottish Greens has dubbed Cameron’s return to the UK government “bizarre” and “desperate”. “This is a monumental misjudgement that exposes the utter weakness of a tired and broken government that can’t even find enough talent on its own benches to fill a cabinet. This isn’t leadership, it is desperation,” party co-leader Patrick Harvie was quoted as saying by Yahoo News.

‘Life raft’

Just five weeks ago, Sunak positioned himself as the change candidate, distancing from what he called a failed “30-year political status quo.” The remarks made by the 43-year-old British PM at his first conference speech as Tory leader were seen as his attempt to distance himself from his predecessors, reported Politico.

Sunak’s speech came to the forefront again with Cameron’s return. The shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said Sunak was bringing back the former PM as a “life raft”. “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,” Yahoo News quoted him as saying.

According to The Herald, Tory sources said Cabinet reshuffle was done as Sunak wants to “surround himself with competent ministers, who can deliver competent government.” As an article in The Wire mentioned that “Sunak has turned to an experienced colleague (Cameron) who he can be confident is not conspiring to take his job.”

Looming Brexit legacy

It was Cameron who decided to hold the nationwide referendum on Brexit in 2016. While he opposed the UK leaving the European Union and unsuccessfully campaigned for Britain to vote to “remain”, the “leave” side won with 52 per cent votes.

The referendum’s result led to his downfall as Cameron resigned immediately and remained out of politics until now.

The UK left the EU in 2020 and its ramifications continue to loom large in the country. According to Barron’s magazine, a July 2023 report by Jonathan Portes, professor of economics and public policy at King’s College London, found that Brexit has cost the UK a loss of 2 per cent to 3 per cent of economic output so far.

Notably, Cameron’s current boss Sunak had himself voted for Brexit.

Challenges in the new role

Cameron was the UK PM for six years between 2010 to 2016. One of the youngest premiers in British history, he was only 43 when he entered No 10 Downing Street.

According to a New York Times (NYT) report, Cameron’s previous role will “make him an exceedingly well-connected foreign secretary”. Sunak’s office said on Cameron’s appointment that he is “an established figure on the world stage” who can bring “a huge amount of experience” to the role.

Critics are now analysing Britain’s foreign policy decisions when Cameron was the PM. He hosted Chinese president Xi Jinping for a state visit in 2015, heralding a “golden era” of relations between the two countries. Cameron also pursued a closer economic and trade ties between the UK and China.

However, his stance is now criticised in Britain as tensions with China grow, as per Associated Press (AP). As the “golden era” is over with Sunak calling Cameron’s China stance as “naive”, the new foreign minister will be expected to toe the line on Beijing.

Cameron’s appointment also comes at a time when geopolitical tensions are high amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s conflict with Hamas.

According to The Guardian analysis, Cameron will be “thinking how to rekindle the public’s enthusiasm for the Ukrainian cause, and Ukraine’s aspiration to join the EU”.

On the war in West Asia, he will be a “friend of Israel” but also capable of telling the Benjamin Netanyahu-led country that Gaza as an “open-air prison is in no one’s interest”, the British daily’s analysis added.

With inputs from agencies