The sacking of Suella Braverman was expected to dominate the British news agenda today - until there was the announcement that former prime minister David Cameron was returning to government.

This would have been unthinkable in the Boris Johnson or Liz Truss premierships.

David Cameron is of course a moderate who campaigned to keep Britain in the European Union and would have had no place in either of the previous administrations.

But it is still a shock that Rishi Sunak has brought him back. Mr Sunak is after all a committed Brexiteer.

In accepting the position of Foreign Secretary, Mr Cameron acknowledged past differences, saying he had disagreed with "individual decisions' made by Mr Sunak.

However he said hoped that his experience including six years as Prime Minister would assist the current leader to meet the "daunting set of international challenges" that Britain faces.

There had been some suggestion that with the number of top Tories resigning or expressing a lack of interest in top jobs that Mr Sunak was short of talent.

It is still an extraordinary move to bring a former prime minister and an ideological opponent back into government.

Mr Cameron left politics seven years ago by resigning as MP and had to be appointed to the House of Lords by Mr Sunak in order to allow him to become Foreign Secretary as a life peer.

This development is another sign that the hard-right, hard-Brexit wing of the party has continued to lose ground.

Ms Braverman was once a leadership candidate and powerful representative of the Brexiteers. It was her decision to support Rishi Sunak's leadership bid that caused Boris Johnson to drop his own challenge.

The hard-right has been regrouping around opposition to environmental policies and the 'anti-woke' agenda.

However the lack of support for Suella Braverman - she was reported to have the back of only six to 12 Tory MPs out of 350 - showed how much the power dynamic has shifted.

Only days before, the Daily Mail had warned of a massive revolt among backbenchers if she was sacked.

However the Tory leadership would have noted that the Common Sense Group - a faction that has largely replaced the European Research Group - reportedly only attracted seven MPs to a recent drinks reception.

Mr Sunak has appointed James Cleverly as Home Secretary, who was a backer of Liz Truss and is expected to reassure backbenchers that there will be no let up on the pledge to "stop the boats" crossing the Channel from France.

But that appointment was a surprise as well.

Mr Cleverly had said last July that he wanted to stay as Foreign Secretary and that he would have to be dragged out "with nail marks down the parquet flooring",

Another former Truss backer - Therese Coffey - has resigned as Environment Secretary.

It remains to be seen what the backbenchers make of all this, and if the reshuffle is part of a countdown towards a general election.

It is also not at all clear what the British voter will make of Mr Cameron's return.