Hands could not survive big by-election lossespublished at 15:24 Greenwich Mean Time 13 November 2023

15:24 GMT 13 November 2023

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

As we reported earlier, Richard Holden is the new Conservative Party chairman, replacing Greg Hands.

Holden should know his way round party headquarters - he is a former party official.

But boundary changes mean he has yet to find a seat for himself at the next election, even while he helps colleagues defend theirs.

His predecessor, Greg Hands, probably couldn’t survive the big by-election losses to both Labour and the LibDems.

But it’s difficult to say if different personnel would have led to different results.

Will MPs be able to question David Cameron?published at 15:17 Greenwich Mean Time 13 November 2023

15:17 GMT 13 November 2023

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has claimed, external MPs won’t be able to hold the new foreign secretary, former prime minister David Cameron, to account.

It’s true that most MPs will not be able to question Cameron directly in the House of Commons, because he will sit in the House of Lords.

Instead, he will be represented in the Commons by junior minsters from the department.

However, MPs will be able to ask written questions - and Cameron will appear before select committees of MPs.

It’s not the first time that members of the House of Lords have held ministerial posts.

In December 2019, Nicky Morgan was appointed from the House of Lords to the post of Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Under Labour, Lord Mandelson served as Business Secretary and Lord Adonis at the Department for Transport.

The last time the foreign secretary was a member of the Lords was between 1979 and 1982, when Lord Carrington was in the post.

As we reported a short time ago, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle says he is taking advice from clerks and will do "everything he can" to ensure Cameron is fully accountable.

Cameron's return revives memories of Greensill scandalpublished at 15:04 Greenwich Mean Time 13 November 2023

15:04 GMT 13 November 2023

Andy Verity
Economics correspondent

Image source, Shutterstock

In appointing David Cameron to one of the top four offices of state, Rishi Sunak has chosen to disregard his close association with one of the UK's biggest financial scandals of recent years.

Two years ago, BBC Panorama revealed internal documents suggesting Cameron made about $10m (£8.2m) jetting around the world to promote a highly controversial finance business, Greensill Capital.

Greensill, whose disgraced boss Lex Greensill was given an office in Downing Street under Cameron's premiership and later became both his friend and his employer, collapsed in March 2021.

Billions of dollars of investors' money was missing. Criminal inquiries into alleged fraud are ongoing in Germany and Switzerland, where Greensill has been named as a suspect.

Greensill previously denied allegations from MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee in 2021 that his collapsed finance firm was a "fraud" or a "Ponzi scheme" - and blamed the firm's collapse on the withdrawal of cover from its insurers.

• Read more here

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has just reassured Parliament that he'll make sure the new foreign secretary can be scrutinised by MPs.

David Cameron - now Lord Cameron - will not be available in the Commons, as previous foreign secretaries have been.

But Sir Lindsay says he's sought advice from the clerks and looks forward to hearing government proposals on how the foreign secretary can be "properly accountable" to MPs.

"I can assure the house I'm fully aware of the need for... members to be able to hold the government to account in this area – especially at the current time.

"I will do everything I can to ensure we are able to do so."

In a letter to the PM, science minister George Freeman says he is standing down "with a heavy heart".

Freeman says "the time has come for me to focus on my health, family wellbeing and life beyond the front bench".

Image source, Reuters

The reshuffle continues.

In the past few minutes, Laura Trott has been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury - a role that had been held by Tory MP John Glen.

It's the second-most senior post in the Treasury, after the chancellor.

Until today, Trott was Rishi Sunak's pensions minister. We haven't yet heard what Trott's move means for Glen.

A tough time to be health secretarypublished at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time 13 November 2023

14:28 GMT 13 November 2023

Hugh Pym
Health editor

The new health secretary will have an overflowing in-tray. Victoria Atkins will step straight into the negotiations of doctors’ pay - and at a critical moment.

Strikes by consultants and junior doctors this year in England have led to hundreds of thousands of operations and appointments being cancelled. Industrial action has been stalled and negotiations are underway.

Talks between health officials and the doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA), are at a sensitive stage.

It's understood that progress has been made in discussions with the consultants but there is less information about the junior doctor talks.

Steve Barclay had immersed himself in the detail - his successor will have to get up to speed quickly.

As well as that issue, the new health secretary arrives as pressure mounts ahead of winter with some hospital chiefs warning of further serious challenges.

The latest figures for England in October showed the worst A&E performance this year.

Image source, PA Media

We've now got a new health secretary - Victoria Atkins, who's replacing Steve Barclay (he's just been confirmed as the new environment secretary).

Until now, Atkins had been the financial secretary to the Treasury - a post she's held since Rishi Sunak took office last October.

Atkins takes on the role at the end of a year that's been filled with doctors striking over a still-unresolved pay row with the government.

Former transport minister Richard Holden is now chair of the Conservatives, the party announces on X., external

The previous chairman was Greg Hands - we've not heard whether he has a different role.

As we just reported, Health Secretary Steve Barclay was seen entering No 10 earlier.

He has now been confirmed as the new environment secretary, replacing Therese Coffey.

Image source, EPA

And here are some of the moves you may have missed:

• Environment Secretary Therese Coffey resigns, saying it's the "right time to step back from government"
• Transport minister Jesse Norman quits, saying it was an honour to have served
• Paymaster General Jeremy Quin says he's decided to step back to concentrate on his Horsham constituency - adding it has been a "pleasure" to support the PM
• Less pleased was housing minister Rachel Maclean, who says she's "disappointed" to have been sacked from her post

We're still waiting to hear about key members of the Cabinet - including Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who was spotted going into No 10 earlier.

It's been a busy day for the prime minister - and it's not over yet.

If you're just joining us, or need a recap, these are the biggest moves from Rishi Sunak's reshuffle so far:

• Suella Braverman is sacked as home secretary and returns to the backbenches

• James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary, is her replacement
• And in the most surprising move of all, ex-Prime Minister David Cameron returns to government as Cleverly's replacement

Image source, Reuters

Tory MP Simon Clarke has appeared to take aim at Rishi Sunak's reshuffle in a post on X.

Clarke - a supporter of Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss - shared a post about Gareth Southgate's decision not to include Raheem Sterling in his England squad.

In doing so, he wrote: "Some controversial choices here from the manager, putting it very mildly.

"Never wise to lack options on the right wing - the squad risks being badly unbalanced."

Image source, PA Media

The flurry of arrivals at Downing Street continues...

Laura Trott, pensions minister, and Victoria Atkins, financial secretary to the Treasury, were seen outside No 10 a short while ago.

As a reminder - this is a clue, but not a confirmation, that their roles may be changing.

Image source, PA Media

Cameron’s appointment comes with risks and benefitspublished at 13:29 Greenwich Mean Time 13 November 2023

13:29 GMT 13 November 2023

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

David Cameron comes to the role of foreign secretary with undoubted political weight - but he also comes with baggage.

Opposition MPs have already criticised his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy and the fact they will not be able to scrutinise the new foreign secretary in the House of Commons.

Nor are Eurosceptic Tory MPs exactly dancing for joy.

Cameron also brings with him foreign policy baggage from his time in No 10.

He is the man who held the Brexit referendum; the man who pushed for a “golden era” of closer relations with China; the man who backed military action in Libya which left a near failed state in its wake.

But he also brings political heft. He may be the fourth foreign secretary in four years - but he is well known on the international stage.

Will the former PM use his undoubted political weight to shift UK foreign policy?

He has long been a friend of Israel but has in the past been willing to be candid and critical too.

He legislated to ensure the UK always gave 0.7% of its national income on foreign aid - a commitment Rishi Sunak cut to 0.5%.

So Cameron’s appointment comes with potential risks and benefits. One of his predecessors in Downing Street, Lord Rosebery, once said having a former PM in cabinet was "a fleeting and dangerous luxury",

Rishi Sunak, the Conservative Party, and the rest of the country, are about to find out if that is true.

The moves keep coming - Paymaster General Jeremy Quin has resigned.

In a letter posted on X, , externalhe says Rishi Sunak gave him "the reassurance that I could continue to serve in government".

But he has decided to "step back" to concentrate on his Horsham constituency, he says.

Former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg says Rishi Sunak's decision to sack Suella Braverman is a "mistake".

"Suella understood what the British voter thought and was trying to do something about it," the MP tells GB News, where he works as a presenter.

But he does have warm words for Rishi Sunak's choice as foreign secretary.

"David Cameron got the Brexit issue wrong in terms of the Conservative Party and indeed the country at large who voted to leave, but he did give us the choice to have the vote.

“Without him we wouldn't have had that referendum. He is a highly intelligent, capable individual."

Image source, House of Commons

Housing minister Rachel Maclean has been sacked as part of Rishi Sunak's reshuffle.

In a statement, posted on X, the Redditch MP says she is "disappointed" by the news.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch responds to say she is "very sorry" to see Maclean go.

"You were an excellent minister," Badenoch writes.

As we reported minutes ago, Therese Coffey is no longer environment secretary - she says it's the "right time to step back from government".

In a just-published letter, the prime minister thanks her, and pays tribute to her "years of dedicated ministerial service" and friendship.

With the reshuffle still under way, watch live coverage on our stream by pressing play at the top of this page.

Right now, Sarah Montague and BBC Radio 4's World at One are considering what David Cameron's return - and other movements in and out of cabinet - mean for the direction of government.