OSAKA: When David Cameron walked into London's 10 Downing Street — once upon a time his official residence as British prime minister — one busy Monday morning after an eventful weekend, a lot of things — past, present and future — must have been going through his mind. There was of course the almost inevitable reminiscence of the political trials and tribulations that he underwent while helming the British government of his days — a roughly five-year stretch from 2010 to 2015, culminating with the referendum in favor of the British exit from the European Union that also hastened his own exit from the political scene.

There was also the present, enormous and unenviable task of shoring up the political standing of the sitting British prime minister, Rishi Sunak. After all, that was why Sunak suddenly and deliberately dragged Cameron out of the political wilderness and supposedly lucrative speaking circuit to become the British secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, to the surprise of even the most seasoned political observers, and the almost audible collective gasp of the many media members who got wind of the British cabinet reshuffle and set up cameras opposite 10 Downing Street.