Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as UK defence minister

The British government named ex-energy secretary Grant Shapps as the country's new defence minister on Thursday, replacing Ben Wallace who said he wanted to step down after four years in the role and would quit as a politician at the next national election.

Wallace had taken a leading role in shaping Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Under him, Britain provided 2.3B pounds ($2.9B) of military aid to Kiev in 2022 and became the first country to start supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles in May this year to help end Europe's biggest land war since World War Two.

Wallace remained in post last year when Britain went through one of the most turbulent times in its political history, with the departure of two prime ministers over scandal and economic turmoil.

The defence role will be Shapps' fifth government job over the last year, after serving in four different ministries - transport, interior affairs, business and then energy and net zero. His appointment is unlikely to change Britain's support for Ukraine against Russia.

Boundary changes

Wallace, a former army officer and a close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson had been the UK's pick to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general.

But he failed to get crucial US backing to replace him, and Stoltenberg has now extended his term at the head of the alliance.

He said after announcing his intention to resign in July that the decision was not because he thought the ruling Conservatives — currently trailing the main opposition Labour Party in the polls — would lose the next election, but because his constituency in northwest England was being scrapped under boundary changes.

Johnson ally

He was the only minister in a senior post to remain in the turbulent transition from his political ally Johnson to the short-lived Liz Truss and then Sunak.

He was security minister under Theresa May before becoming defence secretary in 2019.

He had enjoyed strong support among the Tories' grassroots membership and was regularly tipped to be party leader but never actively ran for the top job.

'World would be more insecure'

Wallace said in an interview in July that he counted among his achievements boosting the defence budget by £24B ($31B) and said higher defence spending would be crucial in the years ahead.

He predicted the world will be "much more unsafe, more insecure" by the end of the decade.

"I think we will find ourselves in a conflict. Whether it is a cold or a warm conflict, I think we'll be in a difficult position," he added.

The UK could be dragged into conflict in Africa against extremist groups, he suggested, and voiced concern about the effect of Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea on regional politics, and nuclear proliferation.

On Ukraine, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin could "lash out" if he loses and would look for fresh targets, such as against undersea cables carrying Western communications and energy supplies.