David Cameron: How can the former prime minister return as foreign secretary while not being an MP? How can a non-MP or Lord become a Cabinet minister?

The former prime minister has returned to government in a shock move from Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak has appointed former prime minister David Cameron as foreign secretary in the shock appointment of his reshuffle. But how can Mr Cameron return to the UK Government?

How can a non-MP or Lord become a minister?

Mr Cameron resigned as prime minister after the Brexit referendum in 2016 and has been out of frontline politics since the 2017 general election.

Former prime minister David Cameron, who has been appointed foreign secretary.

He is not a sitting MP, and until today also did not have a seat in the House of Lords, commonly thought as a pre-requiste.

There is, however, no requirement for a minister to be a member of either House of Parliament, but there is a strong convention that ministers do sit in at least one house.

Due to this, Mr Cameron is now Baron Cameron after the UK Government said he has been conferred a barony of the UK for life. This will see him join the House of Lords, which will allow him by convention to become foreign secretary.

The last person to hold the role from the House of Lords was Lord Carrington between 1979 to 1982 under Margaret Thatcher.

Other Lords which have run government departments in recent years include Nicky Morgan, Peter Mandelson and Andrew Adonis.

Lord Malcolm Offord, who is parliamentary under secretary of state for Scotland, is another example of a junior minister who was granted a peerage to take up the role.

The last former prime minister to serve in one of his successor’s parliaments is believed to be Alex Douglas-Home, who served in Edward Heath’s government as foreign secretary six years after leaving Number 10.