Britain Appoints Grant Shapps As Defense Minister Replaces Ben Wallace Who Resigned

Grant Shapps (center) at Kyiv on Ukrainian Independence Day. (Twitter/@grantshapps)

JAKARTA - The British government has officially appointed Grant Shapps as the new defense minister, replacing the resigning Ben Wallace, although Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ally has no direct experience with the military.

"Parliamentary member Grant Shapps has been appointed defense minister," tweeted the UK Prime Minister's Twitter account, as quoted Thursday, August 31.

Shapps in the reply post thanked for the trust given, while praising his predecessor Wallace.

"I am honored to be appointed defense minister," wrote Shapps.

"I would like to pay tribute to the great contribution that Ben Wallace has made to Britain's defense and global security over the past 4 years," he praised.

Wallace confirmed his resignation as British defense minister in his letter to PM Sunak.

I’m honoured to be appointed as Defence Secretary by @RishiSunak I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Ben Wallace has made to UK defence & global security over the last 4 years https://t.co/CXWOaYnmUJ

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 31, 2023

I’m honoured to be appointed as Defence Secretary by @RishiSunak I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Ben Wallace has made to UK defence & global security over the last 4 years https://t.co/CXWOaYnmUJ

"After I finish my term of office, I can reflect that the Ministry of Defense I left is now more modern, has better funding, and is more confident than the organization I took over in 2019," he wrote in his resignation letter, as quoted by The National News.

The former England captain last month said he would step down as defense minister after serving for four years, and would quit serving as a member of parliament in the next election.

"It is an honor to serve this great country," he wrote on Twitter.

PM Sunak's office said King Charles III had approved his appointment. PM Sunak himself praised Wallace for the work he did.

"I fully understand your desire to step down after eight years of carrying out ministry duties," said PM Sunak.

For Shapps, this will be the fifth position he has occupied in the past year, under three different prime ministers. He previously served as minister of transportation under PM Boris Johnson, as well as minister of domestic affairs under Prime Minister Liz Truss. Meanwhile, in the era of PM Sunak, he served as minister of business and then in the field of energy and net zero.

Wallace, who serves as Minister of Defense under three prime ministers, played an important role in Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is a close ally of Boris Johnson.