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george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> hello. i'm ben thompson. you're watching "the context" on "bbc news." >> i'm a bit tired but i don't think i've had a funny turn. let me tell you what just happened. david has just walked up the street and gone into 10 downing street. i don't know. think that means he's going to be the new foreign secretary. >> i will do everything to

strengthen our alliances, to work with your friends, to build vital relationships to make sure our country is secure and prosperous in a difficult and dangerous world. that work starts now and i have to get on with it. >> i'm absolutely committed to stopping the boats as we promise and would also making sure that everybody in the u.k. feels safe and secure. >> the -- had to go and she had made a sort of habit of using language which was quite unsuited for that of a home secretary. ♪ >> well, there you now two prime ministers around the cabinet take until downing street as former prime minister david camaro re-enters as the new foreign secretary so we will look at who is in, who is out and we'll assess the reactions

of the major government reshuffle after the sacking of the secretary suella braverman this morning. we'll also hear live from the prime minister this weekend. and of course, we'll have ■th latest from gaza as the war from enters its sixth week. the largest hospital there says it can no longer function properly as heavy fighting continues in the north of the strip. but we begin tonight with news that the former prime minister david cameron has made a dramatic return to government as foreign secretary as part of a major cabinet reshuffle by the prime minister. although he said he disagreed with some of the individual decisions made by mr. be

mr. sunak. he quit sen years ago under a referendum made by downing street. lord cameron will place of replace there man, mr. cleverly. mr. cleverly will move to become home secretary after braver man was sacked. we're going to talk about where in leaves u.k. politics from a moment. but first, this report from our political editor chris mason. >> people express surprise in a

variety of ways. here's mine. call blamey. the guy who used to be prime minister back where he used to live and back in government. the accidental instigator of brexit back as the face and voice of british foreign policy. >> lord cameron. is thisack to the future? >> from number 10 to the foreign office, david cameron's career, yes,nd his walk this morning. >> lord cameron, foreign secretary. quite a thing. >> i know it's not usual for a prime minister to come back in this way but i believe in public service. the prime minister asked me to do this job and it's a time where we have some daunting challenges as a country. the conflict in the middle east, the war in ukraine and, of course, i hope that six years as

prime minister. 11 years leading the conservative party gives me some useful experience, contacts and knowledge. >> david or lord cameron's return is not universally popular among conservative m.p.'s but plenty are making the case it's a good move. >> i was in his cabinet. i think he's a fantastic team player. i think the prime minister has brought him in to strengthen the team at a time when foreign affairs are extremely important. i think having a really experienced player at the top table is a good move. >> are you getting sacked for telling the truth, home secretary? >> a downturn in the political weather for now, at least, for suella braverman. in less than a week. she suggested that some people lived on the street as a tenant

choice among over comments. here she was at the weekend. yesterday's home secretary s standing alongside today's. by this morning, james clever man was in downing street. wherever you looked. he is braverman's replacement. it is only mid-morning and already this is one heck of a reshuffle. a new home secretary. -- secretary. a new foreign secretary who used to be prime minister. the new home secretary rolled up at his new office. >> i'm absolutely committed to stopping the bolts as we promised but also making sure that everybody in the u.k. feels safe and secure. >> and do you want to distance yourself from the rhetoric of the previous home secretary? >> well, i intend to do this job in the way that i feel best protects the british people and our interests. >> meanwhile, the prime minister had been in parliament to fire

people. the promoted, the downing street catwalk, the sacked might be humiliated but aren't usual humiliated publicly. the environmentry secretary wasn't going to be there much longer. barkley has taken her job. victoria atkins. richard holden is the new conservative participant cheryl and laura hunt becomes chief deputy to the treasury. >> the prime minister promised changed and one thing this reshuffle isn't, is change. it won't donything to fix the problems of the country, the cost of living or any other lists. >> here is amount one prompting just two questions that really matter.

what difference will it make to government and what difference, if any, will it make to it popularity or lack of it? "bbc news," westminster. >> and so, david cameron returns to the fray as foreign secretary but what exactly does that mean for the u.k.'s foreign policy and with a general election fast approaching where does it leave the conservative party? our political editor has more. >> thought you'd seen the back of david cameron? this was him walking away after he'd lost the brexit referendum in 2016. since then he has criticized his successors. >> of course i've agreed with some individual decisions but politicians politics is a team endeavor. and i've decided to join which

team because i think rishi sunak is a good leader with good intentions. >> when we became party leader, david cameron juanabilityed to be seen as a compassionate conservative leader. later legalizing gay marriage. all a far cry from the devive political debate of recent years. after leaving office, the former prime minister retreated to his shep heard's hut to write his memoirs. there were lucrative speaking tours, charity work and then a role with the finance group green silk capital. he was later accused of a significant lack of judgment over his lobbying of ministers. the return of cameron gives sunak a senior member around the cabinet table and one with good contacts on the world stage bull

a lot of baggage comes along with that. plenty for the opposition to complain about. in power he wooed the chinese which president over a pint in a english pub and had closer relations with beijing. now a growing section of m.p.'s see china as a huge threat. the 2012 intervention in libya was later strongly criticized by the foreign affairs select committee which said action had been taken with no proper intelligence analysis and it left libya failed state. for many lord cameron is associated with public sector cuts and, of course, brexit. his confidence that he could keep the argument to keep the u.k. in the e.u. was his biggest political miscalculation but not career ending as it turning out.

>> anna, good to have you with us tonight on the program. what do you make of this appointment? is this david cameron the return or a bit of a nightmare in downing street? it depends on where in the party you sit, doesn't it? >> i think this is rishi sunak making a very strong statement that he is not afraid of taking on the right of his party. he is moving towards the center. showing he's not going to be held hots taj by braverman who was increasingly challenging his authority more and more but is he making too much of a gamble? by bringing in david cameron, he's certainly going to make some part of his party happy. the more traditional conservative seats, particularly now being under threat from liberal democrats will be very ppy to see his return. but he does sit on an uneasy

coalition where the red wool seats, for example, the younger intake, the 2019 intake and, of course, the brexiteer wing of the party when still has influence is going to be furious about this and is furious. we've already seen one later of no-confidence come be. i don't expect a lot to follow but it's a statement of the unhappiness with the -- of braverman and the fact that he's decided to bring back a prime minister who has made no secret of the fact that he thinks braverman has been a big mistake

and how david cameron at a time when politics are really different in england is going to come back now is a very curious one. >> you mentioned andrea jenkins' letter. she's written to the committee. starting to get a sense of some of that feeling. they -- one in that group from says an unelected foreign minister with an unelected prime minister. david cameron wasn't even an m.p. he revined from the commons right after that brexit vote. so to get him back in it's been a bit of political theater. does that mean he doesn't get scrutiny in the commons if there are big, international foreign issues he's dealing with, the scrutiny will come from the house of lords. >> yeah, which sahril cause of

concern for the moment for the speaker of the house at minneapolis. the speaker has said he's trying to find a way around this. so peers around allowed on the floor of the hues of monday so david cameron would in theory be questioned by other lords and a more junior person would be sent to question by the house of indianapolis but we have still a war in europe, a huge crisis in the middle east, it's extraordinary that the foreign secretary would not be scrutinized by his minneapolis. >> is this about -- m.p.'s. is this about bringing back age experience, a known figure in the conservative party or does it instead speak to a lack of talent? where is the talent pipeline, the next generation of politicians in the u.k. coming from? does anyone want to be a politician anymore? >> well, fewer and fewer people do, is the truth. but i think rishi sunak is

trying to say he want to do politics differently by actually bringing experience to the table, not just promoting, and, of course, david cameron brings a lot of experience to the table. you mentioned about his record as a former prime minister. it means, he will, of course, open more doors than someone who is relatively unknown and he already has rhythms that can be valuable but at the same time he'll also bring electoral experience, which i think is the really crucial thing that number 10 seein this. cameron had a lot of success. first of all bringing the conservative party back from the cold after 13 years out of office then in 2015 getting a sizable majority and i think that is what sunak really wants to recommendly indicate and homes that by being on the table, david cameron can bring a

with it of that. undoubtedly, even on things he disagree, he's knot going to be causing trouble for rishi sunak. he's not someone who wants to challenge him as a leader. the prime minister does have a lot of his cabinet ministers who are out to get him in that respect. >> ana, good to have you on the program tonight. thank you so much. grateful for your time. thank you. around the world and across the u.k., you're watching "bbc news." let's look at some over stories. the u.k. government is considering more powers for police. it could include stopping people from climbing on statues and scaffolding during demonstrations. there were riots on saturday.

war mail have been foiled offcom after what it called significant failures to meet its postal delivery failures in the past watchdog year. it had fallen short in the delivery of both first and second class mail. there are worrying signs that a growing number of doctors in the u.k. are planning to leave the health service due to burnout and diatisfaction. they say that attracting skilled doctors from overseas will remain crucial if the service can operate efficiently. despite the government launching a major plan to recruit more workers. you're live with "bbc news." let's return to events in the middle east. as the conflict in gaza enters its sixth week. the world health organization says the country's main hospital can no longer function.

it has little power and is running low on food and water. the situation is described as dire and perilous. while hamas has a command center underneath the building. it is designated as a terror organization by the u.k. and western governments. al shifa hospital has pleaded for the remaining babies, around 30 of them, to be taken to safety in egypt. while the hamas run health ministry says more than 11,000 people have been killed in gaza since the start of the conflict. more than 4.5 thousand were children. attacks began on october 7 by hamas. the israel defense forces say 44 soldiers have been killed in

their ground operation. our senior international correspondent has more. a warning, her report contains distressing images. >> war is closing in and they are running out of time. these prema thorough babies at hospital fighting for life without incubators. since these pictures were taken at the weekend, seven newborns have died, according to a local journalist who has seen the bodies. the hospital grounds already look like a war zone. home runs say this was the aftermath of a recent israeli air strike. israel denials targeting the hospital. the world health organization says there are constant bombings in the area. and crammed inside, along with 600 patients, about 2,000 people who have sought refuge.

israel says it has opened a safe evacuation corridor. a source in the hospital told the bbc that's totally untrue. >> there are bullets everywhere, especially near the windows so no one inside the hospital c can -- some people left through the corridor they are talking about but the men were taking -- taken. only the women escaped. one man was shot. when we tried to reach him, they fired at us. he was shot gwen in the chest and he died. >> israel claims that hamas hides beneath al shifa and has a command center below ground. hamas denies this. and further south, more wounded

today. more children who witnesses say were bombed in their own homes. there is growing concern internationally about how israel is fighting this war. about who is being killed. but the country's foreign minister says significant international pressure might be two to three weeks away. witness news, jeers lem. >> so that's the situation on the ground right now as far as the humanitarian crisis is concerned. let's talk to brandon freedman, director of research at a tel aviv university. we have talked extensively about the military operation and also that growing humanitarian issue. i'd like to talk about some of the longer term implications of what's happened and we know that the longer term implications of what happened on october will

take some time to play o but it comes as a lot of relations with the arab war world were starting to normalize with israel. i'm thinking of saudi arabia, for example. what is your assessment of where those relations stand right now? >> thank y, ben. first image it's really important to emphasize, if we're going to talk about the humanitarian situation that we call attention to the fact that we're now 38 days into a nearly -- nearly 240 hostages being held by hamas in gaza and we need to bring them home. many are elderly and some as young as 10 most old and not getting proper mel attention they may need. i want to add that point into the story of the humanitarian situation in gaza. the israeli hostages are still there and still being head. regarding the long-term regional dynamics, i tnk one of the

concerns right now is escalation and we have to ask ourselves the question wheth we stand on the brink of a recentlial war. if i look at events over the past weekend between israel and hezbollah and ian: 's partners in the region, there was a drone sent from syria that hit the southern tip of israel and struck listen elementary school in which 37 children were in the building at the same time. thankfully none of them were hurt. but a miscalculation or had that suicide grown hit in a different place in the building, we might be on the brink of a much broader war than the one we face today. so i think the questions of the day after and the question of israel's relations in the region resolve around how things evolve on the ground moving forward. i think there's an assumption here that this war is going to end soon or neatly and that may not be the case, particularly

given some of the states statements out of bay repute and israel's southern border and southern lebanon. >> yes, we don't have time to get into all the issues. you and your colleagues have written extensive li about renewed fears of religious legitimacy among muslims in the region. explain what you mean by that because there are so many players in this region and it's times like this where it's difficult to know who is backing who and why. explain what you mean by that state. >> sure. hamas is basically a wing of the muslim brotherhood and that is supported in the region by qatar and turkey for the better part of the last decade and they've been aof opposed by united arab emirates, called rain and egypt, among post in division, an

organization seeking to destabilize the region and the conservative regimes in the region view the muslim brotherhood as a grave enemy, which is why countries like united emirates or called rain may not necessarily want to see hamas survive the war. they certainly would like to see a cease-fire but they don't want to see hamas come out of this war strengthened. turkey and qatar has provided refuge and what we see with the hamas-israel war is sort of a reignited of the intersunni2006 over the muslim brotherhood. which many view as a very stabilizing force in the region and certainly the events of october 7 would confirm that. >> thank you so much for your insit. >> thank you for having me.

>> i want to show you another event we're following tonight. this is a seen at guild hall in central london. the lord mayer's banquet. we are expecting u.k. prime minister rishi sunak to speak. he'll set out hisutdoor line, vision for the next year. all of which is leading to the general election narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned.