Is David Cameron an MP? Timeline of his political career as former prime minister returns to government
David Cameron National news Politics Rishi Sunak
Fionnula Hainey National Editor (Image: Lewis Whyld PA Wire) Fionnula Hainey www.facebook.com
David Cameron resigned as prime minister following the Brexit vote in 2016 - but is now returning to government as a member of Rishi Sunak's Cabinet
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Manchester Evening News
Former prime minister David Cameron has made a dramatic return to government as foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak.

Prime minister Mr Sunak carried out a mini reshuffle of his Cabinet on Monday morning, triggered by his decision to sack Suella Braverman as home secretary following a series of controversial comments on homelessness and protestors she made in recent weeks.

Mr Cameron, 57, has been appointed to the Foreign Office to replace James Cleverly, who is replacing Ms Braverman in the Home Office. His return to government comes seven years after his failure to win the 2016 Brexit referendum put an end to his premiership.

READ MORE: David Cameron appointed foreign fecretary in shock reshuffle move following sacking of Suella Braverman

Read more national news stories from the Manchester Evening News here.

After losing the Brexit vote, Eton-educated Mr Cameron stepped down as prime minister and was replaced by Theresa May. Weeks later he announced he would also be stepping down as MP for Witney.

Mr Sunak has now granted Mr Cameron a peerage in the Lords so he take up the senior Cabinet role of foreign secretary. He is now the 15th former prime minister to serve in a later government led by someone else.

But how has this happened after the former PM stepped back from politics? The Cabinet is chosen by the prime minister and is predominantly made up of members of the House of Commons. Members of the House of Lords can also be appointed to the Cabinet but are rarely given such senior positions.

Members of the Lords are not elected but are appointed by the King on the advice of the prime minister and there is no set number of seats like there is in the House of Commons. In fact, the House of Lords currently has nearly 800 sitting members, compared to the 650 seats in the Commons.

Mr Cameron has been made a peer by Mr Sunak so that he can take up the senior role in his government. He is the first former prime minister to return to politics within a new government in around 50 years.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who served for just under a year as prime minister after taking office in October 1963, is the last former PM to return to government under a different leader. He was later appointed foreign secretary by Edward Heath and held the role from 1970 until 1974.

In earlier years, Arthur Balfour, who served as prime minister from 1902 until 1905, came back to government in the roles of the first lord of the admiralty in the wartime coalition, and then foreign secretary under David Lloyd George.

David Cameron's political career

June 2001: Mr Cameron became a Member of Parliament in 2001 after winning the seat of Witney in Oxfordshire with a majority of 7,973. He also served on the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee until 2003.

September 2005: Mr Cameron put himself forward in the Conservative Party leadership conference following Labour's victory in the general election, which prompted the resignation of Michael Howard. Boris Johnson, William Hague and George Osborne were among his supporters.

December 2005: Mr Cameron was elected as Conservative party leader with more than twice as many votes as his opponent David Davis.

May 2010: The Conservatives won the most seats in the general election in 2010, their first win at a general election since 1992. However, the party was 20 seats short of an overall majority, leading them to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. Mr Cameron became the UK's prime minister, making him the youngest Prime Minister of the UK since Lord Liverpool in 1812. He said his aim was to "put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest".

January 2013: Under intense pressure from many of his own MPs and with the rise of Ukip, Mr Cameron made a promise to hold an in-out referendum on whether the UK should continue to be part of the EU if his party were to win the 2015 general election.

May 2015: Mr Cameron was re-elected as UK prime minister following the 2015 general election, unexpectedly making sweeping gains over Ed Miliband’s Labour Party and winning a majority in the Commons.

February 2016: As promised, Mr Cameron set a date for a referendum on EU membership to be held in the UK. He announced that he would be campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU.

June 2016: The UK votes to leave the EU in a shock result that sees 52 per cent of the public support Brexit. Mr Cameron resigned as prime minister within 24 hours of the results. In a speech outside No 10, he said: "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination".

July 2016: Theresa May was confirmed as the new leader of the Conservative Party. Mr Cameron held his final cabinet meeting as prime minister and submitted his resignation to the Queen the following day.

September 2016: After initially stating that he would stay on the bank benches as a serving member of Parliament, Mr Cameron announced he was resigning from his Witney seat with immediate effect.