Former military chiefs and opposition MPs have questioned the suitability of “yes man” Grant Shapps for his new role as defence secretary.
Mr Shapps, the former energy secretary, was Rishi Sunak’s surprise choice to replace Ben Wallace this morning as the prime minister carried out a mini cabinet reshuffle.
Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the Armed Forces, expressed his concern that Mr Shapps had been given the job to “support” Mr Sunak rather than “make the case” for defence budgets.
He also suggested it would take Mr Shapps “some time” to get up to speed with the defence brief, which he knows “very little” about.
Claire Coutinho, a former education minister, replaced Mr Shapps in a major promotion for the East Surrey MP. A close ally of Mr Sunak who previously worked as his adviser, the 38-year-old is the first MP from the 2019 intake to join cabinet.
