Peer David Cameron faces fresh accountability questions as new Foreign Secretary speaks with US counterpart Antony Blinken but leaves his deputy to face Gaza questions because he will not take his seat in the Lords until next week

• Ex-PM was appointed to the senior Cabinet role in a shock move on Monday

Rishi Sunak is facing fresh accountability questions today over his decision to make David Cameron  his Foreign Secretary in the House of Lords.

Lord Cameron, the former prime minister, was appointed to the senior Cabinet role in a shock move on Monday.

He is the first foreign secretary to sit in the upper chamber for more than 40 years and will ne unable to face questions in the Commons from MPs. 

The difficulty of the situation was laid bare today when it was revealed Lord Cameron had spoken to his US counterpart Antony Blinken about the conflict in Gaza last night.

But a statement to MPs today was left to the peer’s deputy, MP and International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell. Cameron has received his peerage but is not expected to officially take his seat in the Lords until next week.

Facing Mr Mitchell today, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘I would have liked to have started by welcoming the new Foreign Secretary to his place. But I can’t do that because he isn’t here.

Lord Cameron, the former prime minister, was appointed to the senior Cabinet role in a shock move on Monday and joined his new colleagues this morning (above)

The difficulty of the situation was laid bare today when it was revealed Lord Cameron had spoken to his US counterpart Antony Blinken about the conflict in Gaza last night.

But a statement to MPs today was left to the peer’s deputy, MP and International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell (left). Cameron has received his peerage but is not expected to officially take his seat in the Lords until next week.

Facing Mr Mitchell today, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘I would have liked to have started by welcoming the new Foreign Secretary to his place. But I can’t do that because he isn’t here.’

‘David Cameron is the seventh Foreign Secretary in the seven years of Tory chaos, he was forced to resign in failure over a matter of foreign policy, the Prime Minster has looked at each of the 350 MPs sitting opposite and decided that none of them was better at representing Britain’s interests on the world stage.

‘Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, claimed he was for change, instead he’s just resurrected yesterday’s failure with an honour. This decision raises serious questions for this House.’

And the SNP joined in the criticism, with foreign affairs spokesman Brendan O’Hara saying: ‘Already we see the absurdity of having a Foreign Secretary who is unable to come to speak in this chamber to elected members at a time of grave international crisis.’

Lord Cameron believes it is essential that MPs are able to scrutinise his work as Foreign Secretary, Mr Mitchell told the Commons.

‘As minister of state, I will follow the precedent followed by successive governments of different parties, from Lord Carrington and Lord Home to more recent times, when Lord Mandelson has served in Cabinet from the House of Lords,’ he said.

‘I will deputise for the Foreign Secretary in this House, making regular statements like today’s and respecting the primacy of this House in the normal way, and of course the Foreign Secretary will appear before the House of Lords and relevant committees regularly.’

Lord Cameron attended his first Cabinet meeting in seven years today. His unexpected return has been interpreted as political positioning, to win over more centrist voters before a general election expected next year.

Mr Sunak assembled his new senior ministers for their first meeting at Downing Street on Tuesday morning, describing them as a ‘strong and united team’.

‘A warm welcome to those for whom it’s their first Cabinet and also a welcome to those for whom it may not be their first time,’ he said in a nod to Cameron, who sat opposite him at the green Cabinet table.

Sunak’s Tories, in power for the last 13 years, including six under Cameron, have been trailing the main opposition Labour party in opinion polls for months now.

The latest Savanta survey published just before Cabinet met put Keir Starmer’s Labour 18 points ahead of the Conservatives on 46 percent, and on course to become the largest party in parliament.

Sunak’s time is running out to turn around his party’s fortunes, which has been hammered by a cost-of-living crisis and repeated scandals.

On Wednesday, the UK Supreme Court judges rule on the legality of the government’s proposed scheme to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Defeat will force ministers to think again on how to control immigration, which has been a key issue since the Brexit vote that Cameron instigated.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt meanwhile outlines government spending plans next Wednesday, resisting calls from Tories to cut taxes before the election.

Source: Read Full Article