Orbán to David Cameron: Great to have you back, buddy

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday joined a chorus of European heavyweights welcoming ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron’s unexpected return to politics.

“Difficult times require experienced leaders. Glad to see a friendly and familiar face in the arena of politics,” Orbán said on X.

Cameron, who resigned as U.K. prime minister in 2016, made a stunning comeback to British politics on Monday by becoming the U.K.’s new foreign secretary as part of a broad reshuffle of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet.

The former Conservative prime minister had a troubled relationship with the EU during his time in power — not least because of his role in initiating the 2016 Brexit referendum, which created years of tension between London and Brussels.

At times, Cameron’s distrust of EU affairs put him in the same corner as Orbán.

In 2014, the pair were the only ones who voted against the election of Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission.

“It’s a dark day for Europe, it risks weakening national governments,” Cameron said then about Juncker’s rise to the top job.