After mounting speculation, Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new defence secretary as part of Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet mini-shuffle.
The former energy security and net zero minister replaces Ben Wallace who announced his resignation on Thursday.
This is the fifth cabinet post to be held by Shapps in a year – having served as transport secretary under Boris Johnson, home secretary for six days under Liz Truss, and as business secretary before his most recent appointment as energy secretary.
Wallace announced in July that he would be leaving the post the next time the prime minister announced changes to his cabinet, as well as stepping down as the MP for Wyre and Preston North in at the next election.
In his first public statement as defence secretary, Shapps said he was “honoured” to have been appointed and paid tribute to the legacy of his predecessor, before committing to the UK’s continued support to Ukraine.
The appointment of Shapps has, understandably, caused quite the stir, with opposition parties accusing the prime minister of appointing a “yes man”, while military officials questioned the former transport secretary’s ability to fight the corner of the Ministry of Defence as robustly as Wallace.
Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the Armed Forces told Sky News: “Will he really understand and make the case for defence … or will he be more political and support the prime minister for party political purposes?”
But just who is Grant Shapps, the individual now responsible for the defence of the realm including nuclear operations, policy and organisations?
Elected as the MP for for Welwyn Hatfield in 2005 after three unsuccessful attempts at running for Parliament, Shapps backed David Cameron’s leadership bid after which he was rewarded with the post of vice chairman of the Conservative Party.
When in government, the now defence secretary was appointed Minister without Portfolio before becoming a Minister of State in 2015. He was appointed transport secretary for a brief time before being sacked following Liz Truss’s election as Tory leader.
But while Shapps is known for having now held five cabinet posts in the space of just a year, the defence secretary is perhaps most famous for a far more controversial affair, involving a “get rich quick scheme” and a certain Michael Green.
In 2012, the former energy secretary was alleged to have previously used pseudonyms to hold a second job outside of Parliament after his election as an MP in 2005.
In an investigation published by the Guardian in 2006, Shapps was heard posing as Mr Green and discussing the company How To Corp and product Stinking Rich, to another entrepreneur.
In one exchange, the Tory chairman, admitting he was in politics, said: “I mean that would be a very sensible time scale. Other people might say, ‘No, I’m just going to run this over the summer’ — there could be all sorts of approaches. But, yeah, it’s pretty flexible as the listeners are going to hear pretty soon.
His colleague, Peter, replied: “Now I think what I always like to point out about yourself is that before people start saying things like, ‘Oh, I’m so busy. I’m on holiday’ and everything — I’ve got to explain that you were involved very heavily in public life so this kind of a — possibly quiet time for you where you don’t have to be in parliament and such so.
Shapps responded: “Well, there is that, but I mean basically this is a hobby for me. This is — when I want to — it probably sounds like a strange hobby for some people — but when I want to get away and I want to relax from the daily hustle and bustle of politics and what have you — then for me — for my weekend or whatever when I am not doing that stuff — this is relaxation for me. This is how I relax. I do internet marketing to relax. How about that?”
Although Shapps had repeatedly denied use of the Mr Green pseudonym, he eventually confirmed the identity after being exposed as having continued to work as a “multimillion-dollar web marketer” at least a year after being elected.
One of the company’s hero products was an application named TrafficPaymaster, which created blogs for Google’s algorithm with content taken from other sources.
The scandal sent shockwaves across the Tory Party and eventually led to his demotion to aid minister, but he later resigned after accusations he had ignored allegations of bullying of a young Tory activist.
A party spokesperson confirmed that Shapps had been writing with a “pen name” and that business interactions were “completely transparent” and acknowledged that although his writing career ended when he was an MP, it actually ended “shortly afterwards”.
Naturally, the scandal remains fresh in the memory of voters even today, and this morning’s announcement will no doubt serve as a reminder of the pressures that Shapps who, with little defence experiences, faces.
Unsurprisingly, users have take to social media to reminisce about the fabled Mr Green.
Related: Reactions as Grant Shapps appointed defence secretary
