London: Grant Shapps, who was previously the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, has been appointed as the new Defense Minister of Britain on Thursday. He will take over from Ben Wallace, who resigned from his post last month following a cabinet reshuffle in the UK government. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has praised Wallace, 53, for his service to the country in a letter. He has commended Wallace’s work in countering Russia, securing the support of Western allies and Ukraine. Sunak wrote, ‘You have served our country with distinction.’
Wallace, a former military officer and a close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson was a contender for the NATO secretary-general position after Jens Stoltenberg. However, he did not get the backing of the US for the role. Wallace has been a member of the UK Parliament for 18 years and is the longest-serving Conservative Defense Minister since Winston Churchill. He was security minister under Theresa May before becoming defense minister in 2019.
