Grant Shapps: Who is the new defence secretary?

Grant Shapps has been appointed arsenic the caller defence caput by Rishi Sunak.

He moves to the Ministry of Defence aft conscionable a fewer months arsenic Energy Secretary - a caller station established by the premier curate pursuing the interruption up of the mega-department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

This is Mr Shapps's 5th furniture occupation successful little than a year. Even by the chaotic standards of the past twelvemonth successful Westminster, that is rather something.

Rishi Sunak has been anxious to support the interaction of the request to regenerate Ben Wallace arsenic defence caput to a minimum. But the premier curate has intelligibly decided that appointing Mr Shapps is worthy the destabilisation of having to name a caller vigor caput - Mr Shapps's aged job.

Why? Firstly, Mr Shapps has bags of experience. Not conscionable connected his circuit of authorities departments successful the past twelvemonth - helium has been a elder curate connected and disconnected since 2010, 5 years earlier Mr Sunak adjacent entered parliament.

Secondly, helium has been progressive successful the contented of the Ukraine warfare for immoderate clip done his vigor information brief.

Finally, helium is seen arsenic 1 of the government's astir assured and susceptible communicators. With an predetermination astir the corner, that accomplishment is intelligibly being prized by the PM and his team.

Despite his assured TV manner, and mainstream Conservative opinions, the Welwyn Hatfield MP is not a merchandise of a nationalist schoolhouse and a apical university, similar galore of his Tory colleagues.

In fact, helium likes to gag that his HND qualification from the past Manchester Polytechnic stands for Have No Degree.

A joined begetter of 3 and a relative of The Clash guitarist Mick Jones, helium was calved successful Watford and educated astatine the section grammar school.

As a teenager, helium was taken nether the helping of his section MP Sir Rhodes Boyson, who encouraged him to forge a vocation successful concern earlier entering politics.

He went connected to survey concern and concern astatine Manchester Polytechnic, but portion successful the US helium astir mislaid his beingness successful a car clang - astatine the property of 20 helium was successful a coma for astir a week.

He recovered, but conscionable implicit a decennary aboriginal helium was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. After palmy chemotherapy treatment, helium went into remission and made a afloat recovery.

He became the Conservative vice-chairman soon aft entering Parliament arsenic MP for Welwyn Hatfield successful Hertfordshire, successful 2005 - a spot helium has represented ever since.

He continued to emergence rapidly done Westminster, and was made lodging curate arsenic portion the conjugation authorities aft the 2010 wide election, moving with advisor Kirstie Allsopp, from TV's Location, Location, Location.

A stint arsenic Conservative Party president followed, though helium has said this was his slightest favourite ministerial job.

In 2012 helium faced a setback erstwhile helium was accused of breaching the codification of behaviour for ministers and MPs, aft it was revealed helium wrote self-help guides for a website operated with his woman Belinda utilizing the pseudonym "Michael Green".

He aboriginal said helium had "screwed up" and admitted helium had "over firmly" denied helium had continued his enactment arsenic a web selling adept during his clip arsenic an MP.

A Remainer astatine the 2016 EU referendum, helium was among those Tory MPs who reconciled themselves to the UK's departure, going connected to picture himself arsenic a "Brexit moderate" during negotiations.

After 4 years connected the backbenches nether Theresa May, helium returned to the furniture successful 2019 aft backing Boris Johnson's palmy bid for the Tory leadership.

He was fixed the occupation of transport secretary, a relation Mr Shapps - a qualified aviator - embraced with zeal.

During his clip successful the role, helium developed plans for a caller nationalist assemblage to oversee the railways, teaming up with travel obstruction enthusiast and ex-Tory MP Michael Portillo to beforehand a contention to prime the big city.

Mr Shapps developed a estimation arsenic a reliable media performer, and was regularly sent retired to support the authorities connected the airwaves during the periods of situation that often engulfed Mr Johnson's tenure.

He was sacked from the furniture by Liz Truss, aft supporting her rival Mr Sunak successful the summertime enactment contest.

However, helium made an bonzer comeback lone six weeks later, erstwhile helium was brought backmost arsenic location caput successful the dying days of Ms Truss's premiership.

His assignment was seen arsenic an olive subdivision to the centre-right of the enactment - but besides raised eyebrows, fixed helium had been criticising Ms Truss's taxation plans lone days previously.

Known for his skills successful monitoring governmental rebellions, helium had besides been celebrated astatine Westminster for keeping a spreadsheet connected his Galaxy Fold phone, containing hundreds of quotes from Tory MPs connected their doubts astir Ms Truss arsenic premier minister.

As it happened, helium was location caput for conscionable six days earlier Ms Truss near office.

When Mr Sunak took implicit arsenic premier curate helium was moved to concern caput and brought his emblematic enthusiasm to the role.

In December, helium helped motorboat a run advising the nationalist however to prevention wealth connected their vigor bills, including done a cheesy video featuring an Elf connected the Shelf scuppering his attempts to chopped vigor usage successful his ain home.

He was the taxable of much ridicule recently, erstwhile it emerged a photograph posted connected his Twitter relationship to observe a rocket motorboat successful Cornwall had erased former-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was besides connected the archetypal visit.

Mr Shapps aboriginal apologised for the incident, saying Mr Johnson had been "inadvertently airbrushed" retired of the representation by 1 of his team.

He'll present beryllium liable for the UK's equipped forces, defence planning, strategical planetary partnerships and UK's effect to the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine.