• David Cameron has been ennobled and made Foreign Secretary.
• James Cleverly is the new Home Secretary after Suella Braverman’s sacking.
• Thérèse Coffey, Environment Secretary, has entered No. 10: no word yet about her new job.
• Two health ministers, Will Quince and Neil O’Brien, have announced they are standing down, as has schools minister Nick Gibb.

10.46am Patrick O’Flynn: Rishi Sunak’s decision to appoint David Cameron as Foreign Secretary shows that the boarding school boys are back in charge and the possibility of the Conservative party embracing conservatism is at an end. The Tories will go back to battling for the Centrist Dad vote, which may help them hang on to a few more Blue Wall seats in the Home Counties. But the Red Wall, and those who backed Boris Johnson’s 2019 pitch, will return to Labour on the back of mass abstentions or votes for the Reform party.

Read more here.

10.40am Steerpike: Cometh the hour, cometh the Hancock. With the understatement that is his wont, the former Health Secretary has taken to Twitter/X to hail the return of his onetime patron:

‘Brilliant decision by the PM to make @David_Cameron #ForeignSecretary. Superb for ?? – bringing his experience to guide us through difficult times. Excellent for the @Conservatives, showing @RishiSunak will fight the election on the centre ground. Bravo ??’.

Gizza job eh Rish?

10.36am Cindy Yu: David Cameron’s flagship foreign policy when he was prime minister was ushering in the ‘golden era’ with China, where he and Osborne thought Britain could be China’s best friend in the West. Back in 2015, that already looked ill-thought-out – it was clear that Xi Jinping was not the reformer that some hoped he would be. As General Secretary of the Chinese Communist party, Xi Jinping had already purged his own party of political enemies as part of his anti-corruption drive and was assertively increasing China’s presence in the disputed South China Sea. In the years since, with the crackdown on Hong Kong, the oppression of Xinjiang, and the pandemic, it looks clearer than ever that David Cameron misjudged China. And yet, after leaving government, Cameron continued to lobby for China-linked projects (for example in Sri Lanka).

As Foreign Secretary, Cameron will hardly be able to freelance on foreign policy (especially on China) and bring back the golden era, but there are now valid questions to be asked over the Foreign Secretary’s geopolitical judgment.

10.30am James Heale: Out of ideas and out of time: that’s Labour’s response to this reshuffle. ‘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’, said Pat McFadden, the party’s National Campaign Co-ordinator. Darren Jones, shadow Treasury spokesman, went further, declaring that he is ‘pleased’ about Cameron’s return: ‘When I ran the Business Committee he was always too busy to answer our questions. All we wanted to understand was why he was privately lobbying ministers for public cash for the (allegedly) fraudulent Greensill Capital whose payroll he was on.’

This highlights a theme Labour will emphasise in the coming weeks: the Tories will never change.

10.27am David Cameron has released a statement after becoming Foreign Secretary:

The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted.

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.

While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience – as Conservative Leader for eleven years and Prime Minister for six – will assist me in helping the Prime Minister to meet these vital challenges.

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.

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. I want to help him to deliver the security and prosperity our country needs and be part of the strongest possible team that serves the United Kingdom and that can be presented to the country when the General Election is held.

I believe in public service. That is what first motivated me to get involved in politics in the 1980s, to work in government in the 1990s, become a Member of Parliament in the 2000s and put myself forward as Party Leader and Prime Minister.

The UK’s Foreign Office, our Diplomatic Service, our Intelligence Services and our Aid and Development capabilities are some of the finest assets of their kind anywhere in the world. I know from my time in office that they are staffed by brilliant, patriotic and hard-working people. They have been well led by James Cleverly, with whom I look forward to working in his vital new role.

It will be an honour to serve our country alongside our dedicated FCDO staff and provide the continued leadership and support that they deserve.

10.10am Katy Balls: In the wildest plot change of the reshuffle to date, the former prime minister returns to frontline politics with the Foreign Office brief. The argument that will be made in his favour is that serious times call for a serious experienced figure. Cameron has that from his time in Downing Street. Yet this is still a controversial appointment. It was only a month or so ago that Rishi Sunak was declaring himself the change candidate – going against decades of bad decision making. And Cameron was criticising the PM’s Tory conference speech, saying Sunak was wrong on HS2. What’s changed?

Then there’s the issue of party management: plenty of MPs would have liked the role and not required a peerage to take it.

Finally, what about the direction of foreign policy? Cameron has a chequered history here if you look at Libya. His appointment will also worry the China hawks given his government presided over the ‘golden era’ of closer relations with Beijing.

10am Katy Balls: Rishi Sunak is only in the early stages of his reshuffle but already there is plenty of debate within the Tory party. A handful of MPs on the right have begun to voice some concern over Braverman’s sacking. But more worrying to this group is what it means for the government’s small boats policy. The fear among these MPs is that the new Home Secretary James Cleverly has a more muted stance on the ECHR than Braverman. Combine that with the potential appointment of well known Remain-er David Cameron in the Foreign Office and the direction of the government could be changing. When the Supreme Court returns its verdict on Wednesday, the hope is that they will declare the scheme lawful – but government figures are braced for worse news. It means all eyes will be on how Sunak and his new Home Secretary respond.

9.45am James Heale: James Cleverly has just been confirmed as the new Home Secretary, opening a space at the Foreign Office. Following her sacking by Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman has also issued a short statement: ‘It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as Home Secretary. I will have more to say in due course.’ Given her past record, that’s an understatement to say the least.

James Cleverly is the new Home Secretary (Credit: Getty Images)

9.40am Fraser Nelson: Why has David Cameron been invited into No. 10 on reshuffle day? Could he be back, as a Lord and a cabinet member? Just a few weeks ago, Rishi Sunak spoke of a ’30-year political status quo I am here to end’ – referring to Net Zero, HS2 and more. In this phrase, Sunak was lumping together (and defining himself against) Cameron, Blair, Johnson, Brown, May and Johnson. So is it possible he now ennobles Cameron and parachutes him into cabinet? Yes, but it would open Sunak to accusations of having no new ideas and just pumping out retreads.

9.35am Steerpike: Braverman was axed over concerns about her ability to stay on message. So, if the rumours about David Cameron making a cabinet return are true, there might be some awkwardness about Dave’s views on HS2. Following Sunak’s conference speech, his predecessor tweeted: ‘Today’s decision on HS2 is the wrong one. It will help to fuel the views of those who argue that we can no longer think or act for the long-term as a country; that we are heading in the wrong direction.’ Might make for some difficult conversations around the cabinet table…

9.15am Steerpike: Here we go: the first Tory MP has thrown their weight behind the now former Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Andrea Jenkyns, the Brexit-backing right winger, has taken to Twitter/X to declare: ‘I support @SuellaBraverman Sacked for speaking the truth. Bad call by Rishi caving in to the left!’ How many others will follow suit?

Andrea Jenkyns defended Braverman following her departure from cabinet (Credit: Getty Images)

9.10am Steerpike: What is David Cameron doing in Downing Street? Given that he is presumably not about to be announcing the new junior Levelling Up minister, there is some speculation as to whether he is about to be given a cabinet job. The last ex-PM to serve in a successor’s administration was Alec Douglas-Home, who served as Foreign Secretary under Edward Heath. Could Cameron, a fellow Old Etonian, now be given that role too? Talk about a reshuffle twist.

Sky News’s Kay Burley, at least, was not expecting to see the former PM walking up to No.10. Here is the moment Cameron emerged from his car – and left Burley briefly speechless:

pic.twitter.com/eMtiOHRoIS

— OldQueenClips (@OldQueenClips) November 13, 2023

9.10am Katy Balls: If you thought the most surprising thing that could happen today is Sunak summoning the courage to sack Braverman, think again. David Cameron has just gone into No. 10 – through the front door. The former prime minister looks on the cusp of a surprising comeback. Nothing says change candidate like bringing back a former prime minister…

9.05am James Heale: The CCHQ Twitter account is already churning out graphics. ‘Reshuffle: Rishi Sunak strengthens his team’ is embossed over an image of the Prime Minister. It’s clear how No. 10 wants to frame today’s reshuffle: getting the government’s best performers into public-facing roles ahead of the expected election next year. If today’s CCHQ graphics are anything to go by, we can expect it to be a presidential campaign, contrasting the qualities of Sunak and his opposite number.

Suella Braverman at Sunday’s Remembrance Day service in Whitehall (Credit: Getty Images)

9am Katy Balls: As Suella Braverman exits Rishi Sunak’s government, it’s worth remembering how she got there in the first place. Braverman came out to endorse Sunak at a key point during the second leadership contest when Boris Johnson was attempting a comeback. Braverman’s support for Sunak was seen as a sign that the right of the party would get behind Sunak – and it wasn’t long after this that Johnson dropped out. Her appointment as Home Secretary – days after Liz Truss had axed her from the role over an email breach – was seen as the prize Braverman received as a result.

It follows that, until now, Braverman was seen as a necessary figure in the government for Tory unity and keeping the right on side. Over the weekend, 2019-er Miriam Cates defended Braverman while senior Tory John Hayes is reported to have trying to organise a show of support. The question is whether Braverman will become a figurehead for this group from the backbenches.

8.45am Katy Balls: Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle is underway and it has begun with the Prime Minister sacking his Home Secretary. A No. 10 source confirms that the PM has asked Suella Braverman to leave his government and she has accepted.

The view in Downing Street is that Braverman’s position had become untenable after she gave the Times newspaper an op-ed that had not been cleared by No. 10. However, there were still doubts over the weekend as to whether Sunak would choose to axe Braverman and risk a revolt on the right.

Ministers close to Sunak say Braverman’s influence on the right of the party is overstated – but we will soon find out. This is just the start of a crunch week for the PM with the Supreme Court delivering its verdict on whether the Rwanda scheme is lawful on Wednesday.

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