US secretary of state Antony Blinken held a telephonic conversation with newly appointed British foreign minister David Cameron on Tuesday. Both discussed the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the war in Ukraine and also discussed relations with China.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron today. The Secretary congratulated Lord Cameron on his new appointments to the UK Cabinet and Peerage. Secretary Blinken and Lord Cameron underscored continuity in the US-UK special relationship and its importance to regional and global security,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout of the conversation.
“They discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, including efforts to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. They also discussed relations with the PRC and cooperation to help Ukraine prevail against Russia’s war of aggression,” Matthew Miller further added.
The former UK prime minister made a comeback to the UK political scene after right-wing former UK home minister Suella Braverman was ousted and James Cleverly, who was serving as foreign minister, was given her portfolio.
Braverman was ousted because she tried to exert her authority over the Conservative Party, experts told UK-based news media outlets.
Cameron stepped down as UK’s prime minister in 2016 after losing the Brexit referendum. He also stood down from his MP role and later got mired in a lobbying scandal that was seen as tarnishing his reputation.
The former leader, whose foreign policy record as prime minister is viewed as chequered at best, said he “gladly accepted” his new role as Britain faced “a daunting set of international challenges”.
“While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience — as Conservative leader for 11 years and prime minister for six — will assist me in helping the prime minister to meet these vital challenges,” Cameron added, citing the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
(with inputs from Reuters and AFP)