Former prime minister David Cameron, infamous for the introduction of the disastrous austerity policies that wrecked the British economy, is back. Current prime minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Cameron as foreign secretary after having given him a peerage to facilitate his return to the front bench.

The move is unexpected, but it is not surprising. British politics is full of wealthy men failing up and, as Boris Johnson or Michael Gove could attest, introducing disastrous policies is rarely enough to end someone’s political career.

Cameron’s appointment provides some clear benefits to both men. Sunak is now so far behind in the polls that it looks vanishingly unlikely that he will remain prime minister after the next election.