Cameron’s comeback and the chaos in ‘Cruel Britannia’ ‘We call on all terrorists present in the hospital to surrender’ – the night update

Good news for Rishi Sunak: inflation in Britain weakened significantly in October. This was still 4.6 percent, compared to 6.7 percent in September. The conservative prime minister, who had suffered a number of setbacks, announced

High inflation is weighing heavily on British households, including the middle class. Relaxation is therefore more than welcome. However, inflation in Britain remains high compared to other major European economies. Inflation in the eurozone was 2.9 percent in October.

In any case, the positive mood only lasted a few hours. At 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Britain’s Supreme Court rejected the Tory government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, where they would await a decision. The highest court thus supported the ruling of an appeals court that Rwanda was not a safe third country.

Braverman’s obsession

This means that the head of government must be prepared for new problems with the right wing of his conservatives. For him, the deportations to East Africa were a prestige project to make Britain unattractive. The ultra-right Interior Minister Suella Braverman described the Rwanda plan as a ‘dream’ and an ‘obsession’.

She is no longer directly involved with the court ruling, because Braverman was fired by Rishi Sunak on Monday. The immediate reason was an opinion piece by the minister in the Times in which she sharply criticized the London police for allowing a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the capital last Saturday.

The unexpected return

It “clashed” with the annual commemoration ceremony for the victims of the World War in central London. Ultimately, the biggest threat came from right-wing counter-protesters, but the mere fact that the minister responsible for internal security had openly attacked the country’s main police department made Suella Braverman intolerable.

Rishi Sunak used her expulsion to trigger a cabinet reshuffle. Braverman’s job was taken over by the previous Secretary of State, James Cleverly. His replacement delivered the real blow: former Prime Minister David Cameron returns to Westminster seven years after leaving office as a result of the defeat in the Brexit vote.

“One of the worst prime ministers”

To describe the reaction to Cameron’s surprise comeback as mixed is an understatement. Most responses were dominated by incomprehension and rejection. The Economist was particularly clear: of all people, a man “who caused many of Britain’s problems” offered to solve them.

Cameron had everything to make an excellent prime minister, the business newspaper wrote: “intelligence, determination, humor and manners.” Instead, he managed to “become one of the worst.” When he resigned in June 2016, The Economist had already judged that Cameron left “a ruined legacy”.

Or to put it bluntly, former Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair’s “Cool Britannia” became “Cruel Britannia”.

A devastating austerity policy

The 57-year-old upperclassman’s ‘sin record’ is significant. After his narrow election victory in 2010 – he had to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats – Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne imposed a draconian austerity program on the kingdom that has caused significant damage to public services.

Hospitals and school buildings must be closed due to impoverishment. The state of the National Health Service (NHS) is already dire. If it is not an acute emergency, you often wait months for a doctor’s appointment. “Austerity was a radical experiment, and it largely failed,” concludes The Economist.

The Brexit debacle

David Cameron’s most difficult legacy is Brexit, the British departure from the EU. It has shattered and deeply divided the nation. Between Cameron and Sunak, the Tories have ‘exhausted’ three heads of government: Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. And immigration, the main reason for voting ‘yes’ to Brexit, has not decreased but increased.

It is fair to say that Cameron only carried out the referendum in June 2016 under pressure from the right wing of the party. He wanted to end the debate on EU membership once and for all, but when the gifted populist Boris Johnson backed departure out of sheer calculation, the Prime Minister seemed helpless.

Many want a new mood

Many who followed Johnson at the time are now feeling “buyer’s remorse.” Surveys show that around 60 percent consistently say Brexit was a mistake. A recent survey shows that a relative majority of 47 percent is demanding a new EU referendum within five years at the latest. Only 37 percent reject this, 16 percent have doubts.

Brexit could be one of the reasons why Rishi Sunak is recalling Cameron. Things had not gone particularly well for him during his ‘retirement’. So he could hardly get lucrative assignments. One of the few came from Australian financial juggler Lex Greensill, who also fell for Credit Suisse.

Braverman’s difficult reckoning

Now David Cameron hopes to polish his battered reputation as foreign secretary. Between him, Prime Minister Sunak, Home Secretary Cleverly and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, the most important cabinet posts are filled by representatives of the party’s moderate wing. Observers interpret this as a course correction towards the political center.

It is Rishi Sunak’s desperate and probably hopeless attempt to avoid defeat by Labor at the next election, which will probably take place in a year’s time at the latest. There has already been a beating from the right. A day after her deportation, Suella Braverman settled with the Prime Minister in an open letter.

The daughter of Indian-born immigrants, who is considered very amiable in personal interactions, accused Sunak of “wishful thinking” to avoid difficult decisions. He is either unable to keep his promises, “or, as I can now easily conclude, you never intended to,” the three-page letter reads.

With this harsh scolding, Braverman made it clear that she has no intention of disappearing into the back benches of the House of Commons. On the contrary, she sets the course for Sunak as party leader after the Tories’ likely election defeat. There will certainly be no room for someone like David Cameron.