Claim: David Cameron Considering Return to Front-line Politics

David Cameron
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Joe Markham

David Cameron is reportedly seeking to make what he hopes would be a dramatic return to party politics and is said to be considering standing as an MP, possibly at the next general election.

The claims of the mooted return of former Prime Minister David Cameron, who stood down from leadership after losing the 2016 Brexit vote, come from unnamed Conservative party sources cited by the British Mail on Sunday newspaper. One such source alleged Mr Cameron has made enquiries about standing as a candidate in the Sevenoaks constituency in Kent as a vehicle for returning to Parliament.

The seat is currently held by Conservative MP and former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who is believed to be considering retirement ahead of the next election and is regarded as one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, with a majority of over 20,000.

If he does seek a return to frontline politics, Mr Cameron may opt to do so alongside his close friend and political ally George Osborne, who is also reported to be considering re-entering Parliament through the Kensington constituency. Held by Labour since 2017, Kensington is historically a traditional Conservative seat and has the narrowest margin of any seat in the country with the presen incumbent winning by just 20 votes.

Cameron and Osborne, aged just 52 and 48 respectively, are still younger than outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May or leadership contender Boris Johnson. One source reported in the claims said Cameron still had “three decades of public service left in him”.

David Cameron’s memoirs, called ‘For the Record’ are due to be released in the coming weeks. Both Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne have denied the reports that they are seeking to stand again as candidates.

It was reported by the Sun newspaper last year that if Mr Cameron did return to frontline politics, that he would seek the position of Foreign Secretary. One source close to Mr Cameron said at the time that Cameron had been “bored shitless” since stepping down from politics and that “David is dedicated to public service, and has often said he wouldn’t rule out a public role one day, domestically or internationally.”

Such an appointment may cause considerable controversy among many MPs, as it was Mr Cameron who agreed to sanction the Brexit referendum which led to the UK voting to leave the EU, something which many in the parliamentary Conservative Party objected to.

A stumbling block to the return of former Prime Minister Cameron and his loyal lieutenant Osborne Osborne is whether they would be willing to serve under Boris Johnson, the current frontrunner to succeed Theresa May. Both Cameron and Osborne supported the Remain campaign while Mr Johnson was a figurehead of the campaign to leave the EU.

Mr Cameron and Mr Johnson are also reported to be long-term rivals going back to their university days.

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