Grant Shapps named new Defence Secretary

Ben Wallace, who held the Defence Secretary role for four years, resigned today – Thursday 31 August.

Wallace's resignation comes after he announced that he would leave his post and the next cabinet reshuffle.

However, reports note that the next cabinet reshuffle was sooner than expected, with Wallace thanking his colleagues for their support in his resignation letter.

In his resignation letter, the former Defence Secretary also recalled the work that he had done over the past four years – including the extraction of troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. The former Defence Secretary also recognised the helpful part he played in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia last year.

After thanking Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his support, Wallace said that his military and political careers had taken "a personal toll" on him and his family.

The former Defence Secretary also recognised that the Ministry of Defence was "back on the path to being once again world-class with world-class people".

At times, Wallace has seemed controversial in his outspoken push for more defence funding. In his resignation letter, the former Defence Secretary also recognised that the boost of funding must remain a priority in the future.

Wallace added: "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."

The former Defence Secretary concluded by saying: "The Ministry of Defence that I leave is now more modern, better funded and more confident than the organisation I took over in 2019. [But] I genuinely believe that over the next decade, the world will get more insecure."

Both Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps were considered as potential replacements of the Defence Secretary.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Wallace as Defence Secretary when he entered Downing Street in 2019, but welcomed Shapps' expected appointment on (formerly known as Twitter) X today.

On X, Boris Johnson wrote: "Sad to see [the] 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."

Downing Street confirmed today that Grant Shapps has been named as the new Defence Secretary. Prior to his new role, Shapps was serving in the cabinet as the Energy Security Secretary.

In addition, Number 10 revealed this morning that Claire Coutinho has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The newly appointed Defence Secretary has also previously served as the Home Secretary for six days in Liz Truss' cabinet, along with his former roles as Business Secretary, Transport Secretary and Chairman of the Tory Party and a number of other junior ministerial roles since 2010.

Reports of criticisms from opposing parties to the Defence Secretary swap have also emerged this morning. The Liberal Democrats have penalised Sunak for replacing Wallace with someone to his fifth cabinet role in less than a year.

Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord declared that "the Conservative government merry-go-round has to stop".

"They have taken the armed forces for granted for too long, and we are all left less safe as a result. At a time when the armed forces need someone to stand up for them, Rishi Sunak has appointed a yes-man," Foord added.

With rumours spreading that Sunak will be swapping out members of his team later this year, other opinions note that Shapps, who has years of experience in different cabinet roles, was a good fit for the job.