# Rishi Sunak tries to lead the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 24, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706 "2022-10-24T13:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/502 "2023-11-13T10:51:18Z")
…and david cameron\* has been brought back as foreign secretary, using some sneaky shenanigans (as he is not an mp). Bastards. \*the git that started this shit show with his hasty complacent brexit referendum. Ninjad. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/503 "2023-11-13T10:51:42Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > He had to go back to the giants of yesteryear to find someone fit for the role. Sunak a couple of weeks ago: “I am the leader of change, after many long years of failure and limited vision!” Sunak today: “Uh, yeah, actually, never mind about that.” What a squishy, squishy little man. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/504 "2023-11-13T10:54:18Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Live reaction of seasoned journos here The very soft “What the hell?!” by someone in the background when he is first seen! ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/505 "2023-11-13T10:57:41Z")
I know! I think whoever it was deserves a medal for restricting themselves to “What the _hell_” because my reaction was a little stronger. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/506 "2023-11-13T10:57:44Z")
And Camerob has to go into the Lords to do it. If memory serves, that’s 60 years since the last Foreign Secretary in the Lords. Talk about a caretaker/placeholder. And it’s not as though he’d be that well buttressed by the junior ministers. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/507 "2023-11-13T10:58:31Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Sunak a couple of weeks ago: “I am the leader of change, after many long years of failure and limited vision!” > > Sunak today: “Uh, yeah, actually, never mind about that.” > > What a squishy, squishy little man. Yup. Cameron was apparently particularly irked by the “30 years of failed consensus” stuff. (But he can put it behind him.) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/508 "2023-11-13T11:00:12Z")
It’s going great, folks. Any guesses on what a backbench Braverman will get up to? ETA: oh, hey, I’ve got a little cake! It’s Cake Day! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/509 "2023-11-13T11:03:42Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > And Camerob has to go into the Lords to do it. I didn’t even know that kind of simultaneously-elevate-and-appoint move was possible. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/510 "2023-11-13T11:16:41Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > If memory serves, that’s 60 years since the last Foreign Secretary in the Lords. Lord Carrington under Thatcher 1979-1982. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/511 "2023-11-13T11:19:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > ETA: oh, hey, I’ve got a little cake! It’s Cake Day! Were you ambushed by cake? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/512 "2023-11-13T11:20:21Z")
It was either that or death. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/513 "2023-11-13T11:47:45Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Any guesses on what a backbench Braverman will get up to? Spend more time with her dalmatians? ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/514 "2023-11-13T11:53:26Z")
I guess it says something about the current state of the parliamentary Conservative Party when Sunak can’t find a member who either wants the job of Foreign Secretary or is competent/loyal enough to do it. I guess there wasn’t enough time to air drop Cameron into a safe commons seat. And likely no safe seats either, particularly for such a move. Guess it’s better for them to get this stuff out of the way now and not closer to a general ejection (that’s a typo, but I quite liked it). Surely the next 12 months will be just plain sailing…. OB ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/515 "2023-11-13T12:18:26Z")
Wait for Wefnes > [@MrDibble](#): > > I didn’t even know that kind of simultaneously-elevate-and-appoint move was possible. Not unknown. From [this briefing note](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/ministers-in-the-house-of-lords/): _The majority of ministers in the House of Lords have been, and continue to be, selected from existing members of the House. However, there have been examples of individuals given peerages to serve as ministers. In the current government, Lord Bellamy and Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park are examples of such ministers._ As for Braverman, wait and see what happens on Wednesday when the Supreme Court announces its ruling on the Rwanda policy. Will it mean Braverman launching an all-out campaign to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights - and where would that put Sunak and Cameron? > **[Win or lose, supreme court decision on Rwanda policy will be pivotal for Tories](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/13/supreme-court-rwanda-small-boats-tories-sunak-pivotal)** > > A victory for the immigration and asylum policy on Wednesday will come with headaches, but a defeat could split the Conservative party ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/516 "2023-11-13T12:30:26Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > I guess it says something about the current state of the parliamentary Conservative Party when Sunak can’t find a member who either wants the job of Foreign Secretary or is competent/loyal enough to do it. If loyalty to Sunak is one of the prime qualifications, that pretty well squeezes out everyone with the gravitas to hack the job. Of course whenever the PM (of either party) is a weakling obviously in over their head, that problem obtains for every major cabinet position. The only exception being somebody elevating to cabinet who fancies their own chance at PM next, and has the 'nads (internally or externally mounted) to push, and push hard, their own agenda irrespective of the PM’s. Which sounds like exactly what Braverman was up to when she overplayed her hand. Next! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/517 "2023-11-13T13:58:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > when she overplayed her hand Depends on what she was hoping to achieve. As it is, she’s positioning for leadership of the Opposition after the inevitable (she has one of the safest seats). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/518 "2023-11-13T14:35:55Z")
Wow. I’m getting a bit dizzy! Here’s CNN’s coverage: [https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/uk/suella-braverman-leaves-government-rishi-sunak-gbr-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/uk/suella-braverman-leaves-government-rishi-sunak-gbr-intl/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/519 "2023-11-13T14:56:12Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > I guess it says something about the current state of the parliamentary Conservative Party when Sunak can’t find a member who either wants the job of Foreign Secretary or is competent/loyal enough to do it. The truth is that however ridiculous it might seem to appoint Cameron, he’s a known quantity and the alternative would be someone quite untried. Why would you go for a pig in a poke when you could have a guy who no no come on I should be better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/520 "2023-11-13T14:59:17Z")
Heh. When I started that sentence I thought “oh lord are you sure you want to use that turn of phrase in association with this man” and then the rest of the sentence happened. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706/521 "2023-11-13T15:06:45Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Why would you go for a pig in a poke when you could have a guy who no no come on I should be better than this. You should be better than this, but then so should the Conservative Party. And yet here we are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rishi-sunak-tries-to-lead-the-uk/973706.md?page=27)