November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak carried out the second cabinet reshuffle of his premiership on 13 November 2023. Suella Braverman was replaced as Home Secretary by James Cleverly.^[1] Cleverly was replaced as Foreign Secretary by the former Prime Minister David Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton, who was made a life peer.^[2][3]

Rishi Sunak

Changes

Amid rising tensions the previous week,^[4] Sunak dismissed Suella Braverman from her position as Home Secretary on 13 November 2023. She had previously been dismissed from the same position by Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss in October 2022.^[5] According to The Guardian, the trigger for her sacking was an article she wrote and published in The Times on 8 November 2023,^[6] which included a statement that there was "a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters" and were tougher on rightwing extremists than pro-Palestinian "mobs". The Guardian reported that the Prime Minister's office had asked for changes to be made to the article, but not all were implemented.^[7] She was replaced by the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.^[8][1]

With the foreign secretary's office falling vacant, party grandee Lord Hague reportedly negotiated a deal between Sunak and the former Prime Minister David Cameron that saw Cameron appointed Foreign Secretary.^[9][10] Since Cameron had resigned from parliament on 12 September 2016,^[11] he was appointed to a life peerage on the morning of the reshuffle.^[2] He will be the first foreign secretary to serve from the House of Lords since Lord Carrington (1979–1982) and the first former prime minister to return to Cabinet since Alec Douglas-Home (1970–1974).^[12][5] Following the appointment of Cleverly as Home Secretary and Cameron as Foreign Secretary, all four Great Offices of State are held by men for the first time since 2010.^[13]

The Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey announced that she had resigned after serving in the government since 2014 under five prime ministers.^[14][15] Coffey was replaced by the Health Secretary Steve Barclay, with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins being promoted to Health Secretary.^[16]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General Jeremy Quin stated that, despite being asked to continue to serve in government, he had resigned from his positions.^[17] He was replaced by John Glen, with Laura Trott being promoted to Glen's former position as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.^[3]

Richard Holden was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio following Greg Hands' demotion to Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.^[18]

The backbencher Esther McVey was appointed Minister without Portfolio.^[19]

Cabinet-level changes

Colour key
Joined the Cabinet      Left the Cabinet

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Position after reshuffle
	Suella Braverman	Home Secretary	Dismissed from the government
	James Cleverly	Foreign Secretary	Home Secretary
	David Cameron (appointed to the House of Lords as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton on 17 November 2023)	None (former Prime Minister; last held political office in 2016)	Foreign Secretary
	Thérèse Coffey	Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Resigned from the government
	Steve Barclay	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Richard Holden	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport	Chairman of the Conservative Party Minister without Portfolio
	Victoria Atkins	Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
	Laura Trott	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
	Jeremy Quin	Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General	Resigned from the government
	Greg Hands	Chairman of the Conservative Party Minister without Portfolio	Minister of State for Trade Policy Minister for London
	John Glen	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General
	Esther McVey	Backbench MP	Minister of State without Portfolio

Junior ministerial changes

Colour key
Promoted^[note 1]      Left the government

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Position after reshuffle
	Nick Gibb	Minister of State for Schools	Resigned from the government^[20]
	Neil O'Brien	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health	Resigned from the government^[21]
	Will Quince	Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care	Resigned from the government^[22]
	Jesse Norman	Minister of State for Transport	Resigned from the government^[23]
	Rachel Maclean	Minister of State for Housing and Planning	Dismissed from the government^[24]
	George Freeman	Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation	Resigned from the government^[25]
	Lee Rowley	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety	Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety^[26]
	Jo Churchill	Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Minister of State for Employment^[19]
	Andrew Griffith	Economic Secretary to the Treasury	Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation^[19]
	Damian Hinds	Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation	Minister of State for Schools^[19]
	Nigel Huddleston	Minister of State for International Trade	Financial Secretary to the Treasury^[19]
	Andrew Stephenson	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury	Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care^[19]
	Paul Scully	Minister for London Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy	Dismissed from the government^[27]
	Bim Afolami	Backbench MP	Economic Secretary to the Treasury^[19]
	Gareth Bacon	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sentencing^[28]
	Saqib Bhatti	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy^[19]
	Anthony Browne	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport^[19]
	Laura Farris	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Victims and Safeguarding^[29]
	Simon Hoare	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities^[19]
	Fay Jones	Assistant government whip	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales^[19]
	Andrea Leadsom	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care^[19]
	Paul Maynard	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions^[19]
	Robbie Moore	Backbench MP	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs^[19]
	Guy Opperman	Minister of State for Employment	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport^[19]
	Stuart Anderson	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury	Vice-Chamberlain of the Household^[19]
	Amanda Milling	Backbench MP	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury^[19]
	Joy Morrissey	Assistant government whip	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury^[19]
	Mike Wood	Backbench MP	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury^[19]
	Lord Gascoigne	Backbench Peer	Lord-in-waiting Government Whip
	Lord Mott	Lord-in-waiting Government Whip	Left the government^[30]
	Aaron Bell	Backbench MP	Assistant government whip
	Mark Fletcher	Backbench MP	Assistant government whip
	Mark Jenkinson	Backbench MP	Assistant government whip
	Suzanne Webb	Backbench MP	Assistant government whip
	Lord Benyon	Minister of State for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs	Minister of State for Climate, Environment and Energy^[19]
	Earl of Minto	Minister of State for Regulatory Reform	Minister of State for Defence^[19]
	Baroness Vere of Norbiton	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation, Maritime and Security	Parliamentary Secretary in HM Treasury ^[19]
	Lord Davies of Gower	Lord-in-waiting Government Whip	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport^[19]
	Baroness Penn	Parliamentary Secretary in HM Treasury	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities^[19]
	Baroness Goldie	Minister of State for Defence	Left the government^[31]
	Trudy Harrison	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use	Resigned from the government^[32]
	Baron Murray of Blidworth	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Borders	Left the government^[33]
	James Davies	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales	Left the government^[34]
	Julie Marson	Assistant government whip	Resigned from the government^[35]
	Steve Double	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury	Resigned from the government^[36]
	Sarah Dines	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding	Dismissed from the government^[37]

Reaction

Reactions to the reshuffle focused to a considerable extent on Cameron's "surprise" return to frontline politics.^[38] The Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall asked the Works and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride about unemployment, saying "it turns out the government can get the over 50s back to work, just only if they are former prime ministers".^[39] Addressing the House of Commons during the debate on the King's Speech, the Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting asked, "What kind of message does it send their constituents that their own party leader cannot find a suitable candidate for foreign secretary among the 350 Conservative MPs who sit in this House?"^[40]

On Twitter, former Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Cameron on his appointment as Foreign Secretary, adding that the experience he acquired during his tenure as Prime Minister "will be invaluable at this time of great uncertainty in our world".^[41]

Following the cabinet reshuffle, Andrea Jenkyns submitted a public letter of no confidence in Rishi Sunak.^[42]

Notes

1. According to the ministerial pay scale:
   Minister of State >
   Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State >
   Parliamentary Private Secretary

References

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2. Walker, Peter (13 November 2023). "He's not an MP, so how can David Cameron return to the cabinet?". The Guardian. from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
3. Landler, Mark (13 November 2023). "At a Time of War, Cameron Brings Experience but Also a Checkered Past". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
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37. Dines, Sarah [@Dines4Dales] (13 November 2023). "(1/4) I have been asked this evening to step down from my government role as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding. It has been a great privilege to have held this position for over a year during which I worked hard to assist vulnerable communities" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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