Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has described David Cameron’s return to Government as Foreign Secretary as a “desperate last throw of the dice” following a reshuffle triggered by Rishi Sunak's decision to sack Suella Braverman from the Home Office.

The former prime minister replaced James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary and will be given a peerage.

Ms Braverman's controversial tenure in the Home Office came to an end as she positioned herself as being the voice of the right of the party and defied party lines.

Meanwhile, Lord Cameron became the first former Prime Minister to make a return to cabinet since Alec Douglas-Home in 1970 after last having been in number 10 until the Brexit referendum of 2016.

Speaking to The Herald, Mr Sarwar has described the reshuffle as a “desperate last throw of the dice” while he said there would be a sigh of relief that Ms Braverman has gone.

READ MORE: Cameron in shock return to UK Government as Sunak reshuffles cabinet

On Ms Braverman’s dismissal, he said: “Everyone will breathe a sigh of relief that the most divisive Home Secretary in this country’s history has lost her job, but let’s not forget that Rishi Sunak reappointed her as Home Secretary one week after breaching national security. 

“It’s a welcome step, but I won’t be happy until we get rid of the whole rotten lot of them. This is a right-wing, divisive, culture wars-driven, crank fest, conspiracy theorist-ridden Tory government and that’s why this country so desperately needs change and so desperately needs politicians to bring our country together, rather than pull us apart for their own electoral purposes.”

Lord Cameron had also been critical of Mr Sunak's decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2, while the Prime Minister used his Tory conference speech to distance himself from the legacy of his predecessors.

Sarwar also referenced recent tension between the pair, describing the appointment as a “marriage of convenience”.

He added: “I find it quite funny because you had Rishi Sunak just a matter of weeks ago saying that we had to break away from the consensus of the last thirty years in politics - direct criticism of David Cameron and the government he ran.

The Herald: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (Image: Jane Barlow/PA)

“Also, a few weeks ago you had David Cameron saying that Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap HS2 was short-sighted, would fail our country and would be recognised as a failure for generations to come.

“And now the two have a marriage of convenience. I think it’s a desperate last throw of the dice from an end of days government, and I think the sooner we have a general election - the sooner we can get rid of the whole lot of them - the better it is for every corner of our country.”

The Scottish Greens have also criticised Lord Cameron’s return, similarly characterising the move as one of “desperation” for the current government.

Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “This isn’t leadership, it is desperation. The sight of David Cameron back in government is one that few will welcome, particularly in Scotland where we were dragged out of Europe against our will.

“It is a slap in the face to everyone who has had to endure the disaster of Brexit, which was one of the biggest self-inflicted foreign policy disasters the UK has ever witnessed."

READ MORE: How Scottish is David Cameron and does he really own half of Jura?

A Prime Minister returning to the office has become an extreme rarity in recent decades, with Lord Cameron becoming the first in over 50 years.

His former colleague Ruth Davidson, who was leader of the Scottish Conservatives in Holyrood and now sits in the House of Lords, welcomed the news in post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

She wrote: “There's going to be a ton of snark surrounding this, of course there is.

“But I think it's a good appointment. I've never understood the British tradition of putting ex-PMs out to pasture instead of using the enormous experience they've accumulated in office.”

Lord Cameron will sit alongside Davidson in the House of Lords, joining Peter Mandelson, Nicky Morgan and Andrew Adonis as Lords to have run government departments in recent decades.

As he is currently not a Member of Parliament, Lord Cameron will not stand as the despatch box of the House of Commons and face questions from the opposition and other MPs, a situation brandished as “remarkable” by SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn.

He said: “Truly remarkable that during a time of huge international unrest, not least in Ukraine and Gaza, the House of Commons will not be able to directly scrutinise the work of the actual Foreign Secretary. The UK is not a serious country.”

Another politician who knows all about unexpected comebacks, Alba Party Leader Alex Salmond has said he has “no problem” with the former Prime Minister’s return, despite the two locking horns in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Mr Salmond said: "I always found him decent and honourable to deal with as prime minister. He will be one of the few adults in the Cabinet Room, a substantial political figure when compared with the current crop of complete nonentities.

"However, this appointment represents two crushing admissions from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"Firstly, recalling David Cameron as a 'Time Lord' is a damning indictment of the abysmal mediocrity of the present parliamentary Tory Party. He has benches stuffed with Tory MPs and not a single one of them is fit to be Foreign Secretary.

"Secondly, David Cameron’s return as Foreign Secretary is a devastating acceptance that Brexit has been an expensive and desultory disaster.”