UK Gets New Interior Minister

• As Former PM, Cameron Returns As Foreign Secretary

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday appointed James Cleverly as interior minister, switching the 54-year-old from the role of foreign secretary, which he had held for a year.

The move, part of Sunak’s first major reshuffle after nearly 13 months in power, follows the UK leader sacking Suella Braverman as interior minister earlier Monday.

In addition, Sunak appointed David Cameron, the former Prime Minister as the Foreign Secretary.

Cameron, who resigned after a controversial referendum that led to the exit of Britain from the European Union in 2016, may return to his former role, after Sunak’s tenure.

Osun Defender learnt that Cameron’s return to the cabinet will renew calls for Britain’s possible return to the European Union.

The former prime minister left his role in 2016 after losing the Brexit referendum, but reportedly told friends in 2018 he wanted to return to frontline politics, preferably as foreign secretary.

Since then he has maintained a relatively low profile, though he became embroiled in scandal two years ago when he lobbied government ministers to provide financing for the now-insolvent financial services company Greensill Capital.

Sunak’s office said on Monday that King Charles had approved giving Cameron a seat in Britain’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, allowing him to return to government as a minister despite no longer being an elected member of parliament.

However, here are what you should know about the new UK interior minister as culled from Wikipedia and major UK news platforms.

1. He was born on September 4, 1969, to a British father and a Sierra3 Leonean mother.
2. He was privately educated at Riverton School and Colfe’s School, both in Lee, London. Cleverly then trained in the army, but his training was cut short by a leg injury in 1989. He went on to gain a Bachelor of Arts degree in hospitality management studies from Ealing College of Higher Education (now University of West London) in 1991.
3. He worked for the publishing company Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen; he joined Informa as an international sales manager in 2002. 
4. Cleverly joined Crimson Publishing as an advertising manager after two years before becoming the online commercial manager for Caspian Publishing in 2006. 
5. He co-founded the web publishing company Point and Fire the following year.
6. He was an Army Reserve Officer who has served as Home Secretary since 2023. 
7. He is an active member of the Conservative Party and served as Secretary of State for Education.
8. He advocated a vote for Brexit in the 2016 European Union membership referendum. 
9. In September 2022, he was appointed Foreign Secretary by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, making him the first Foreign Secretary of African heritage in British history.
10. Cleverly married Susannah Sparks in 2000; the couple has two sons.

Sodiq Lawal

Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.

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