Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton takes the oath and his seat in the Upper House after his bombshell return as Foreign Secretary in the reshuffle
David Cameron formally joined the House of Lords today after his bombshell comeback in the reshuffle.
The former premier has been installed as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton after officially taking his place in Parliament’s unelected upper House.
Dressed in ermine robes, the peer swore an oath to the King in a packed chamber.
Lord Cameron is the first ex-PM to join the Lords since Margaret Thatcher was made Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in 1992.
The 57-year-old spent seven years in the political wilderness after his time as PM ended in 2016 in the wake of his humiliating loss in the EU referendum.
But Lord Cameron sensationally returned to frontline politics last week when Rishi Sunak appointed him as Foreign Secretary and handed him a peerage.
The ex-PM made his first overeas trip in his new role last week when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
David Cameron formally joined the House of Lords today after his dramatic return to Westminster
The former premier has been installed as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton after officially taking his place in Parliament’s unelected upper House
The former premier is taking the title of Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, which confirms his long-held ties to the Cotswold town
Lord Cameron made his first overeas trip in his new role last week when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv
Lord Cameron, pictured with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he was PM, has faced questions about his business links to Beijing during his time away from Downing Street
It was confirmed on Friday that his full title will be ‘The Rt Hon. the Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’.
The title confirms Lord Cameron’s long-held ties to the Cotswold town of Chipping Norton, which lies within his former Witney constituency.
During his time in office the former PM was known as a member of the so-called ‘Chipping Norton set’, an elite group of political and media figures who lived in the area.
Lord Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary has not been without controversy, with MPs angry they won’t be able to quiz him in the role as he cannot speak in the House of Commons.
Questions have also been asked about the ex-premier’s business links to China during his time away from Downing Street.
Prior to his return as Foreign Secretary, Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee had raised concerns about Lord Cameron’s appointment as vice-chair of a £1 billion UK-China investment fund.
There has also been scrutiny of the ex-PM’s involvement with the Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka, viewed as a major part of China’s controversial belt and road initiative.
Campaigners have written to Mr Sunak’s ethics chief to put pressure on Lord Cameron to set out the details of his past business dealings with China.
In a letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, Unlock Democracy director Tom Brake wrote: ‘I would argue very strongly that the disclosure of Baron Cameron’s business interests are indisputably in Parliament’s and the public’s interest.
‘I look forward to your response, setting out the action you intend to take, but I hope it will include the full, immediate and public disclosure of all of Baron Cameron’s business interests.’
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