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David Cameron has been appointed as foreign secretary in a cabinet reshuffle.

The former prime minister, who was given the role while in Number 10 this morning, said he “gladly accepted” the offer from Rishi Sunak, despite having “disagreed with some individual decisions” by his successor.

Speaking to broadcasters, the now Lord Cameron said he accepted bringing back an ex-PM was “not usual”, but he “believes in public service” and has “useful experience” to bring to the table.

He also called his new boss a “strong and capable prime minister who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time”, adding: “I want to help him to deliver the security and prosperity our country needs and be part of the strongest possible team that serves the United Kingdom and that can be presented to the country when the general election is held.”

Follow live for updates and analysis on reshuffle

The ex-party leader is no longer an elected politician as he stood down as an MP in 2016, having called the Brexit referendum and his campaign to remain in the EU losing the vote.

But the government has confirmed he will now enter the House of Lords as a life peer, giving him the opportunity to serve as a minister once more.

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Downing Street confirmed his salary would be that of a secretary of state in the Lords – £104,360 per year – but said Mr Cameron would no longer take his prime ministerial allowance, and would not take the daily allowance given to other peers.

The shock announcement came after the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary, who provoked widespread condemnation for an article she wrote in The Times, accusing the police of “playing favourites” with left-wing groups over right-wing and national activists.

It was the latest in a string of controversial remarks by the Tory MP, who is a popular member on the right of the party, including her claiming being homeless was a “lifestyle choice”.

We are expecting more movement at the very top of government as the day goes on, so keep up to date with who’s in and who’s out in our list below.

Read more:
Three key questions about Cameron’s comeback

Who is in?

David Cameron

Lord Cameron, who brought the Tories back to power as part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, has returned to government as foreign secretary.

Many of the party’s One Nation MPs – closer to the centre of politics – may welcome the return of Lord Cameron, who secured them two victories at general elections and is well known internationally.

But he does not come without his controversies, including his austerity policies, decisions over Brexit, his push for closer ties with China, and accusations of lobbying when employed by Greensill.

In a lengthy statement released after his appointment, Lord Cameron said the UK faces a “daunting set of international challenges”, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

He said: “While I have been out of frontline 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.”

James Cleverly

Having served as foreign secretary since September last year – after being appointed by then prime minister Liz Truss – James Cleverly will now move to the Home Office as home secretary.

Speaking to broadcasters from his new department, he said it was a “fantastic job” and it would be “a real privilege to serve”.

He added: “I’m absolutely committed to stopping the boats, as we promised, but also making sure that everybody in the UK feels safe and secure, going around, going about their daily business, knowing that the government is here to protect them”.

Steve Barclay

Brought in as health secretary when Mr Sunak took over the leadership last October, Steve Barclay may have been hoping to keep his post.

But after a lot of rumours he may be dropped from cabinet altogether, he has now been announced as taking over the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Taking to social media after his appointment, Mr Barclay said: he would be focusing on three areas – “backing British farming and fishing; championing rural communities; and protecting the environment”.

He added: “As an MP for a rural area I know how important these issues are to many people up and down our country.”

Victoria Atkins

Mr Barclay’s job has been handed over to Victoria Atkins, who will now be in charge of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

It will be the first time Ms Atkins will hold a secretary of state role, having held more junior positions in the past.

Most recently, she has been financial secretary to Treasury.

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt will remain chancellor, having been brought in by Ms Truss after the disaster of her mini-budget, and kept on by Mr Sunak.

Richard Holden

After holding a minor ministerial role at transport – albeit an important one, covering roads and local transport – Richard Holden is now a fully-fledged cabinet member.

He has become the new party chairman, and will be leading on the Tories’ next election campaign.

Greg Hands

Former party chairman Greg Hands, who up until this morning was posting chairman-like attacks on social media against his opponents, has now been demoted.

No longer leading on the electoral mission, he will hold a mid-range ministerial role at the Department for Business and Trade.

Mr Hands said he was “disappointed to be leaving the job”, but revealed he was “able to choose” to return to work in trade – an area where he has been a minister three times before and “a job I also love”.

He added: “I even kept my business cards from last time.”

Laura Trott

Having been a junior minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, Laura Trott has now been made chief secretary to the Treasury.

John Glen

Ousted from that role, is John Glen.

A treasury colleague of Mr Sunak’s and a close ally, there had been rumours of a bigger office of state.

But instead he now takes on the role of paymaster general – a defender and, sometimes, attack dog for the prime minister in the Commons.

Lee Rowley
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Lee Rowley

Having worked as a junior minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities since September last year, Lee Rowley gets a promotion in this reshuffle to housing secretary.

It makes him the 16th person to hold the post since the Tories came to power in 2010.

Who is out?

Suella Braverman

As we have reported, Ms Braverman has been sacked as home secretary and is no longer a minister of any kind, so will return to the backbenches as an MP.

In a statement released after her dismissal, Ms Braverman said: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary. I will have more to say in due course.”

It is the second time she has lost the job of home secretary after she resigned from Ms Truss’s government for breaking the ministerial code.

Rachel Maclean

The former housing minister announced on Twitter that she had been sacked – or “asked to step down”.

Ms Maclean said she was “disappointed” by Mr Sunak’s decision, but added: “It has been a privilege to hold the position and I wish my successor well.”

Paul Scully

A former mayoral hopeful, Paul Scully has been sacked as the minister for London, as well as his role as minister for tech and digital economy, Sky News understands.

Therese Coffey

After she was seen walking into Number 10 this morning – following a brief pause to stroke Larry the cat – it was thought Environment Secretary Therese Coffey may have kept a role in government.

But an exchange of letters between her and the prime minister released two hours later shows she is off, telling Mr Sunak: “I consider it is now the right time to step back from government.”

She marked having served “all five Conservative prime ministers” since getting a role back in 2014, but said she had “always been most proud of in representing my constituents… and acting on local issues”.

Mr Sunak wrote back to “express my gratitude to you for your years of dedicated ministerial service”, as well as her “friendship to me personally”.

Nick Gibb

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said he had quit the government and would not stand at the next general election, adding: “I campaigned for Rishi last summer and I remain an enthusiastic supporter of the prime minister’s leadership.”

Neil O'Brien

Health minister Neil O’Brien also announced he was stepping down – despite being due to play a key role in delivering Mr Sunak’s ban on smoking and vaping in the younger generation.

Will Quince

Another health minister, Will Quince, has also stepped down from his role in a letter to the prime minister.

In it, he said due to his decision to stand down as an MP at the next election and recently becoming a specialist reserve officer in the army, “now feels like the right time to leave government”.

Jesse Norman

Transport minister Jesse Norman has also quit, revealing in a letter that he had let the chief whip know his plans to step down “some months ago”.

Jeremy Quin

The now former paymaster general Jeremy Quin said he was offered “reassurance” that he could stay in government by the prime minister, but he has decided to “step back to concentrate on projects in Horsham” – his constituency.

George Freeman

Another MP to stand down from his post is George Freeman, who had been a science minister since February – but held a number of roles beforehand.

In a letter to the prime minister, he said he had made the decision “with a heavy heart”, but added: “The time has come for me to focus on my health, family wellbeing and life beyond the frontbench”.

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Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ‘lying’ about Peter Mandelson prior to sacking him

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Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of 'lying' about Peter Mandelson prior to sacking him

Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “lying to the whole country” about what he knew regarding Peter Mandelson’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson was this week stripped of his position as ambassador to the US amid fresh scrutiny over his years-long friendship with the convicted paedophile.

The prime minister initially defended the Labour peer but removed him from his post on Thursday after newly seen emails revealed he sent messages of support to Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offences in 2008.

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Lord Mandelson – the unanswered questions

The Times has now reported that Downing Street and the Foreign Office were aware of the emails on Tuesday – a day before Sir Keir gave Lord Mandelson his backing at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).

In a post on X, Conservative leader Ms Badenoch wrote: “Looks like the Prime Minister and Labour MPs spent the week lying to the whole country about what they knew regarding Mandelson’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.”

She continued: “If No 10 had those emails for 48 hours before acting, it means he lied at PMQs and ministers lied again about new additional information. These are yet more errors of judgment.

“The Prime Minister has very serious questions to answer. The only way to clear this up is full transparency about who knew what, and when.”

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Sources said Sir Keir was not aware of the contents of the emails when he told MPs he had “confidence” in Lord Mandelson.

A media enquiry outlining details of the messages between Lord Mandelson and Epstein was sent to the Foreign Office on Tuesday, and passed on to Number 10.

Sir Oliver Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, asked Lord Mandelson about the emails on Tuesday, but did not receive a response until the following day.

Sir Keir is understood not to have been aware of the contents of the emails until Wednesday evening.

Speaking to Sky News, one Labour MP has called for more information on what happened behind closed doors at No 10 this week.

Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw, in Nottinghamshire, said: “We cannot move on until we find out how he [Sir Keir] was not briefed properly before PMQs.”

“What he needs to do now is get on top and sort out this mess,” she said. “Suspend the whip from Peter Mandelson and expel him from the party, then have a transparent enquiry about what went wrong at No.10.”

This came as Sir Keir enjoyed some time away from Downing Street.

The prime minister was on Saturday pictured watching Arsenal face Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal fan Sir Keir cheered on his side as they won 3-0. Pic: Reuters
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Arsenal fan Sir Keir cheered on his side as they won 3-0. Pic: Reuters

Lord Mandelson’s exit came after less than a fortnight after another high-profile loss for the Labour government, as Angela Rayner was forced to quit as deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader over her tax affairs.

As Sir Keir has faced a scandal-hit start to the month, a growing number of Labour MPs have begun calling his leadership into question.

Read more from Sky News:
Mandelson’s exit leaves Trump visit in the lurch
What we know about Mandelson-Epstein relationship

Lucy Powell, who is running to replace Ms Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader, has called for a “change of culture” at Downing Street.

“We’ve got a bit of a groupthink happening at the top, that culture of not being receptive to interrogation, not being receptive to differing views,” she told The Guardian newspaper.

Meanwhile, senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has written to the new foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, demanding answers about the vetting process for UK diplomats in the wake of Lord Mandelson’s sacking.

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Man admits arson after major fire at MP Sharon Hodgson’s constituency office

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Man admits arson after major fire at MP Sharon Hodgson's constituency office

A man has admitted arson after a major fire at an MP’s constituency office.

Joshua Oliver, 28, pleaded guilty to starting the fire which destroyed the office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, at Vermont House in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The fire also wrecked a small charity for people with very rare genetic diseases and an NHS mental health service for veterans.

The guilty plea was entered at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on the basis that it was reckless rather than intentional.

Hodgson, who has been an MP since 2005, winning her seat again in 2019. Pic: Reuters
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Hodgson, who has been an MP since 2005, winning her seat again in 2019. Pic: Reuters

The Crown did not accept that basis of plea.

Oliver, of no fixed address, had been living in a tent nearby, the court heard.

Northumbria Police previously said it was “alerted to a fire at a premises on Woodland Terrace in the Washington area” shortly after 12.20am on Thursday.

“Emergency services attended and no one is reported to have been injured in the incident,” it added.

Drone footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the building.

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A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with Northumbria Police as they carried out their investigation.”

Oliver was remanded in custody and will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, 14 October.

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Kalshi ‘ready to defend’ prediction markets amid Massachusetts lawsuit

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Kalshi ‘ready to defend’ prediction markets amid Massachusetts lawsuit

Kalshi ‘ready to defend’ prediction markets amid Massachusetts lawsuit

In comments to Cointelegraph, Kalshi claimed that Massachusetts is “trying to block Kashi’s innovations by relying on outdated laws.”

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