UK names Grant Shapps as new defence secretary
Published: 04:08 PM,Aug 31,2023 | EDITED : 08:08 PM,Aug 31,2023
LONDON: Grant Shapps was on Thursday appointed UK defence secretary, succeeding Ben Wallace who formally stepped down after a key role shaping the country's military backing for Ukraine against Russia.
Wallace, a popular lawmaker once tipped as a potential leader of the ruling Conservative party, was the longest-serving Tory defence secretary since Winston Churchill.
He had announced in a newspaper interview in July that he would step down before the next government reshuffle and not contest the next general election, which is expected in 2024.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office announced Shapps's appointment, around an hour after he was seen entering 10 Downing Street.
Shapps wrote on social media that he was 'honoured' to be appointed, saying Wallace had made an 'enormous contribution' to UK defence and global security.
'I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our armed forces who defend our nation's security,' he posted.
Shapps, 54, who has no military experience, briefly served as home secretary last October in Liz Truss's short-lived government and before that as transport secretary under Boris Johnson.
He was also business secretary under Sunak before taking over as minister responsible for energy security and net zero.
Last week, he visited Kyiv to pledge UK support to fuel Ukrainian power plants through the winter.
He also toured a kindergarten attended by the young son of a Ukrainian family he has hosted at his home since Russia's attack.
In a letter to Wallace accepting his resignation, Sunak praised the 'dedication and skill' he brought to the post that saw him take a leading role in Western allies' support for Ukraine against Russia.
'You have served our country with distinction,' Sunak wrote, adding that he had seen 'before others did what Vladimir Putin's true intentions in Ukraine were'.
'Your determination to get Kyiv weaponry before the Russians attacked had a material effect on the ability of the Ukrainians to thwart the war.'
Wallace, a 53-year-old former army officer and a close ally of former prime minister Johnson, had been the UK's pick to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general.
An MP for 18 years, he was the only minister in a senior post to remain in the turbulent transition from Johnson to Truss and then Sunak. — AFP
Wallace, a popular lawmaker once tipped as a potential leader of the ruling Conservative party, was the longest-serving Tory defence secretary since Winston Churchill.
He had announced in a newspaper interview in July that he would step down before the next government reshuffle and not contest the next general election, which is expected in 2024.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office announced Shapps's appointment, around an hour after he was seen entering 10 Downing Street.
Shapps wrote on social media that he was 'honoured' to be appointed, saying Wallace had made an 'enormous contribution' to UK defence and global security.
'I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our armed forces who defend our nation's security,' he posted.
Shapps, 54, who has no military experience, briefly served as home secretary last October in Liz Truss's short-lived government and before that as transport secretary under Boris Johnson.
He was also business secretary under Sunak before taking over as minister responsible for energy security and net zero.
Last week, he visited Kyiv to pledge UK support to fuel Ukrainian power plants through the winter.
He also toured a kindergarten attended by the young son of a Ukrainian family he has hosted at his home since Russia's attack.
In a letter to Wallace accepting his resignation, Sunak praised the 'dedication and skill' he brought to the post that saw him take a leading role in Western allies' support for Ukraine against Russia.
'You have served our country with distinction,' Sunak wrote, adding that he had seen 'before others did what Vladimir Putin's true intentions in Ukraine were'.
'Your determination to get Kyiv weaponry before the Russians attacked had a material effect on the ability of the Ukrainians to thwart the war.'
Wallace, a 53-year-old former army officer and a close ally of former prime minister Johnson, had been the UK's pick to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general.
An MP for 18 years, he was the only minister in a senior post to remain in the turbulent transition from Johnson to Truss and then Sunak. — AFP