Both the dismissal of Suella Braverman and the appointment of David Cameron shifted the government away from excitable populism towards a calmer, more pragmatic approach. It is a welcome change of tone from Rishi Sunak but as I argued earlier this week, encouraging though it was, it is unclear whether this heralds a wider change in strategy.
Clearly, Braverman had made her position untenable and had to go. This created a vacancy for one of the great offices of state but with no obvious big-name candidate to fill it from the parliamentary party. For a government languishing in the polls, a bold appointment might cut through and change public perceptions (which neither the Conservative Party conference nor the King’s Speech succeeded in doing) while also drawing attention away from the sacking of the home secretary.
Content from our partners
