Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new defence secretary as part of a mini reshuffle, Downing Street has confirmed.
The former energy security and net zero minister replaces Ben Wallace who announced his resignation on Thursday.
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 at the next election.
The former defence secretary was seen as a potential candidate to replace Boris Johnson following the former PM’s resignation, with a Conservative Home poll of Tory party members placing him as most likely to become next prime minister.
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.
In his first public statement as defence secretary, Shapps said: “I’m honoured to be appointed as defence secretary by Rishi Sunak.
“I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Ben Wallace has made to UK defence and global security over the last 4 years.
“As I get to work at [the Ministry of Defence] I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security.
“And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”
Reactions
Naturally, reaction to news of the appointment was quick to spread, with the Liberal Democrats one of the first to comment on the appointment.
The party’s defence spokesperson, Richard Foord MP, told Sky News: “A year ago, Grant Shapps admitted in his failed Conservative leadership campaign that he thought our armed forces should be strengthened.
“Now, the prime minister has instead put him in charge of slashing troop numbers by 10,000.
“At a time when the armed forces need someone to stand up for them, Rishi Sunak has appointed a yes-man. This is Shapps’ fifth cabinet role in less than a year.
“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.”
Here’s a pick of the best reactions to the new appointment:
Related: Reactions as Ben Wallace resigns as defence secretary