The Prime Minister meets with the Chancellor.

Molly Finlay

As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says ‘bye-bye’ to Suella Braverman, Empoword explains exactly who’s in and who’s out of Sunak’s cabinet.

Suella Braverman’s Sacking

On Monday morning, Sunak moved to sack Braverman as the UK home secretary, replacing her with former foreign secretary James Cleverly.

It came after a tumultuous few weeks of headlines for Braverman, who has consistently put her head above the parapet on issues such as immigration, homelessness, and the regulation of UK protests.

“The greatest privilege of my life”

Last week, Braverman proposed new laws that would restrict the use of tents by homeless people in England and Wales, branding some rough sleepers as having made “a lifestyle choice”.

Despite not openly criticising Braverman for her comments, the prime minister declined offers to repeat claims that homelessness could be “a lifestyle choice.”

Over the weekend, Braverman came under fire once again for publishing a controversial article appearing to accuse the Metropolitan Police of bias in their policing of pro-Palestine marches.

Writing for the Times, the ex-home secretary said: “I do not believe these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza.”

They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”

Braverman continued: “Right wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mob displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law?”

Braverman’s comments have been widely regarded as having been in defiance of No.10, with some reports claiming that the article had not been approved by Sunak before publication.

Accused of exacerbating tensions ahead of Armistice Day protests and after widespread speculation, Braverman responded to her sacking on Monday morning, saying that serving as home secretary was, “the greatest privilege of my life.”

Who’s In Sunak’s Cabinet?

James Cleverly is to replace Braverman as home secretary, leaving behind his position as foreign secretary at a point of global unrest.

David Cameron, ex-Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party is to serve as foreign secretary in his shock return to front-bench politics.

Cameron, who has not served as an MP since 2016, is expected to be given a seat in the House of Lords in order to fulfil his position as a senior cabinet minister.

Steve Barclay moves in as environment secretary, replacing Therese Coffey.

Victoria Atkins is recruited as UK health secretary to fill Barclay’s ex-role.

Richard Holden is appointed Tory party chairman, the sixth chair since June 2022.

Laura Trott becomes chief secretary to the Treasury.

Esther McVey is appointed minister without portfolio in what is seen as an attempt to appease the right wing of the party following Braverman’s sacking.

John Glen moves to a new position as paymaster general.

Who’s Out Of Sunak’s Cabinet?

Therese Coffey is replaced as environment secretary.

Jeremy Quin is outed as paymaster general.

Greg Hands is demoted from his position as Conservative party chair.

Braverman is sacked from her position as home secretary. She fulfilled this role twice under both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Same Old, Same Old?

While Jeremy Hunt and Oliver Dowden remain as chancellor of the exchequer and deputy PM respectively, some have criticised Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle as less than progressive.

Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby pointed out on Twitter/X that the top four government positions are now entirely filled by men.

It is the first time since 2010 that a group of entirely male ministers have held the Great Offices of State.

 

Similarly, the appointment of government officials from the House of Lords is not a new practice, and has happened in the past.

In 2008, Labour’s Gordon Brown granted ex-MP Peter Mandelson a peerage. This gave him a seat in the House of Lords and made him business secretary.

Conservative peer Nicky Morgan also continued to serve as culture secretary for several months under Boris Johnson after standing down as an MP in the 2019 general election.

David Cameron’s Return to Sunak’s Cabinet

David Cameron’s peerage and appointment as foreign secretary has raised significant questions about how elected MPs will be able to scrutinise his work, and hold him to account.

As a Lord rather than an MP, Cameron will not attend the Commons chamber to answer questions during regular departmental scrutiny sessions.

These questions will be redirected to the ministers below him at the Foreign Office, including Andrew Mitchell and Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

Stephen Flynn, Leader of the SNP at Westminster has criticised the ambiguity of Cameron’s new position.

However, it is likely that Cameron will face equivalent scrutiny directly from the House of Lords. This measure was put in place during the periods of both Mandelson and Adonis

Additionally, on occasions where the foreign secretary is unavailable on diplomatic visits, significant questions would be directed to his deputies.

As he accepted his new position, David Cameron wrote in a lengthy statement on Twitter/X: “The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted.”

“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.”

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Featured image courtesy of Number 10 via Flickr. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.

Having recently graduated from an MA in Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University, Molly is a freelance journalist with an interest in politics and current affairs, particularly issues surrounding women and reproductive healthcare. Molly has worked as a BBC Young Reporter during COP26 and has written for Holyrood Magazine as well as Deadline News, with bylines in the Sun, Daily Express and the Mirror.

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