David Cameron's shock appointment as foreign secretary on Monday marks the first time that a former prime minister has returned to the Cabinet since Sir Alec Douglas-Home was also appointed foreign secretary in 1970. Seven and a half years on from losing the Brexit referendum, and subsequent resignation from Downing Street and the House of Commons, we look at the journey the now-Lord Cameron has taken back to front-bench politics. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 But the British people have made a very clear decision
00:02 to take a different path.
00:05 And as such, I think the country requires fresh leadership
00:08 to take it in this direction.
00:10 We'll have a new prime minister in that building behind me
00:13 by Wednesday evening.
00:15 Thank you very much.
00:16 David Cameron hummed a merry tune
00:18 as he headed back into number 10 after confirming his resignation
00:22 as prime minister.
00:23 [HUMMING]
00:28 No songs today as the newest member of the House of Lords
00:31 arrived for his first cabinet meeting in seven and a half
00:35 years on what was a warm welcome back to Downing Street.
00:39 Mr Cameron's shock appointment as foreign secretary yesterday
00:43 marks the first time that a former PM has returned
00:46 to the cabinet since Sir Alec Douglas Holme was appointed
00:50 foreign secretary in 1970.
00:52 Well, I know it's not usual for a prime minister
00:55 to come back in this way.
00:57 But I believe in public service.
00:59 The prime minister asked me to do this job.
01:02 And it's a time where we have some daunting challenges
01:05 as a country.
01:06 The former MP for Whitney hasn't exactly
01:09 been absent from the headlines since losing the Brexit
01:12 referendum in June 2016.
01:14 Having stated he would continue as a backbencher
01:17 after the referendum result, Mr Cameron
01:19 resigned his seat with immediate effect
01:22 just a couple of months later.
01:24 It isn't really possible to be a proper backbench
01:26 MP as a former prime minister.
01:29 I think everything you do will become a big distraction.
01:32 He was often approached for comment
01:34 on the Brexit negotiations under Theresa May and Boris Johnson
01:38 and was outspoken in his criticism of the Johnson
01:40 government's decision to make cuts to the foreign aid budget.
01:44 It's not just that we're breaking
01:47 a promise to the poorest people and the poorest
01:50 countries in the world, a promise that we made
01:52 and a promise that we don't have to break.
01:55 It's that 0.7% commitment.
01:58 It said something great about Britain, not just that we care.
02:02 It was that we are actually going to do something about it.
02:04 He took up various business and charity roles,
02:07 including president of Alzheimer's Research UK
02:11 and also advisor to the financial services
02:13 firm Greensill Capital.
02:16 It was here that Cameron was at the centre of a major scandal.
02:19 After it emerged, he had privately lobbied ministers
02:22 in an attempt to secure access to an emergency coronavirus
02:26 loan scheme for the company just a few months
02:29 before it collapsed.
02:31 Now in government, Lord Cameron has
02:33 had to resign from his business and charitable roles.
02:36 Although he returns to government
02:38 with a wealth of experience, concerns
02:40 have been raised over his perceived lack of judgment
02:43 and accountability.
02:44 As prime minister, he sought closer economic ties
02:47 with China, taking British business leaders on a trade
02:50 visit to Beijing and hosting Chinese Premier Xi Jinping
02:54 at his local pub.
02:56 But deteriorating relations between China and the West
02:59 have since led Rishi Sunak to label that policy naive.
03:04 And as a life peer rushed into the House of Lords,
03:07 he will not face the day-to-day scrutiny
03:09 of MPs in the Commons.
03:12 The new foreign secretary has a busy entrée,
03:15 dealing with a very different global picture
03:17 from when he was last in government.
03:19 The prime minister will be hoping
03:21 that his not-so-new appointment shows
03:23 a conservative government more recognisable
03:26 to disillusioned Tory voters.