David Cameron, ex UK PM and new foreign minister: Top points

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak named former premier David Cameron as foreign secretary after firing home secretary Suella Braverman and replacing her with James Cleverly.

Suella Braverman was sacked as she defied Rishi Sunak over police handling of pro-Palestinian marches and was accused of emboldening a far-right counter-protest which turned violent. David Cameron, 57, served as British prime minister from 2010 to 2016, resigning after the outcome of the Brexit vote.

Here are top points on David Cameron:

David Cameron was a public relations executive for a commercial television company before he became Britain’s youngest leader in almost two centuries after the 2010 election as he led the nation’s first coalition government since World War Two.

David Cameron is a descendant of King William IV. He attended the exclusive private school Eton College and then Oxford University.

He faced accusations of being out of touch as his government implemented a series of austerity measures following the global financial crisis.

In 2013, his government legalised same-sex marriage, which David Cameron backed saying at the time, “I don’t support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.”

As UK prime minister, David Cameron also ordered military intervention in Libya.

David Cameron also agreed to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.

He also called a referendum on membership of the European Union in June 2016.

Britain voted for Brexit and he announced he would quit as prime minister the following day.

In 2021, it emerged that David Cameron had repeatedly contacted senior ministers in 2020 to lobby for the now-failed finance firm Greensill Capital.

This fuelled questions about the extent to which former leaders can use their status to influence government policy.