Press play to listen to this article
Voiced by artificial intelligence.
Grant Shapps has been moved from his current role as energy secretary to take on the defense brief.
The appointment was made to replace Ben Wallace, who stepped down as the U.K.’s defense minister Thursday after four years in the role.
Claire Coutinho has been appointed as the new energy secretary, becoming the first MP elected in 2019 to be given a top Cabinet post.
Shapps, who has held several senior Cabinet posts during his career, is a long-time ally of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and will take over responsibility for guiding the U.K.’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In his resignation letter Thursday, Wallace, who is also standing down at an MP at the next election, said the Ministry of Defence was a “more modern, better funded and more confident than the organization I took over in 2019”.
But he implored the Prime Minister and his successor to push for additional funding for the military.
“I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by government and savings were achieved by hollowing out,” he wrote.
In a message on social media, Shapps said: “I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our armed forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the U.K’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”
Wallace tweeted: “That’s all folks. Been a privilege to serve this great nation.”
Shapps made his first official visit to Ukraine last week as part of his energy role, where he announced details of a £192 million loan to Ukraine’s national nuclear energy company as part of an effort to end the country’s reliance on Russia.
The-then energy secretary met with senior Ukrainian ministers and visited a nursery which was attended by Nikita, the son of a refugee family he took in under the U.K.’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
His appointment came as something of a surprise in Westminster, given Shapps’ relative lack of experience in foreign affairs briefs. But the incoming defense secretary is trusted by No. 10 as a skilled media performer and loyalist who has held a number of senior Cabinet roles dating back to David Cameron’s governments of 2010 to 2016.
Sunak’s mini-reshuffle comes ahead of the return of Parliament from summer recess next week, with the prime minister expected to attempt a reset of his government as his Conservative party continues to languish in the opinion polls.
A wider reshuffle in preparation for the next general election is not expected until after the party’s annual conference in early October, leading to some criticism among Tories about the delay.
Wallace was a popular figure in defense circles, as a former soldier with wide experience of the brief.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a message on social media: “Sad to see departure of my friend Ben Wallace. A fine Defence Secretary who got so many calls right – especially on Ukraine. Grant Shapps is an excellent choice to succeed him.”
Since winning her East Surrey seat, the 38-year-old has held two junior ministerial posts, most recently as minister for children, families and wellbeing.
Coutinho is another Sunak loyalist with little government experience. Before politics, she worked for investment bank Merrill Lynch and accounting firm KPGM, quitting to become a special adviser at the U.K. Treasury where she worked for then-Treasury Secretary Sunak.
