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"I want a strong and united team", was the warning issued by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the members of the new government, with the stellar presence of David Cameron in the Foreign Ministry portfolio and the last-minute incorporation of Esther McVey as minister without portfolio and representative of the hard wing of the Conservative Party, to compensate for the dismissal of the controversial Suella Braverman.

Sunak almost simultaneously made the decision to bring in Cameron and sack Braverman. As revealed by The Daily Telegraph, the first candidate to take the helm of the Foreign Office was the veteran William Hague, who declined the offer and put the name of the former "premier" on the table in exchange.

Cameron entered Downing Street last week through the back door, personally received Sunak's offer and accepted the job on Friday. At the same time, Sunak conducted an internal poll on Suella Braverman's incendiary rhetoric and only six members of the government defended it. The double decision was already made over the weekend, before the Armistice Day incidents.

Sunak rushed the announcement to Monday, without even waiting for Wednesday, when the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the deportations to Rwanda of migrants pending asylum applications, Braverman's particular workhorse. The prime minister was already determined to dispense with his most toxic minister and to promote a shift to the centre-right, while raising the level of his cabinet with the presence of experienced Tories.

The Conservative leader weighed the risks of a right-wing rebellion from the party over the double decision. The cautious reaction of conservative newspapers, however, has helped him temporarily avert that risk. Only one Tory MP, Andrea Jenkyns, dared to publicly announce on Monday night that she had sent a letter of no confidence against Sunak to the 1922 Committee. The New Conservatives and Common Sense groups called up their hosts and are holding their swords high for the time being. Boris Johnson is meanwhile keeping an eloquent silence, waiting for his weekly column in The Daily Mail in which he is expected to send his first signal.

MPs Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger of the New Conservatives also openly criticised Sunak on Tuesday for "the change of direction of the government" and "the calculated departure from the agenda with which we achieved the Conservative majority in 2019".

  • United Kingdom
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  • David Cameron
  • Rishi Sunak