GRANT Shapps has officially been confirmed as the new Home Secretary.
Shapps has previously held roles in the Cabinet, including under Boris Johnson, and has been an MP for over 15 years.
Here’s what you need to know about him.
Who is Grant Shapps?
Born in 1968, Shapps has served as the MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire since 2005.
Prior to going into politics, he founded PrintHouse Corporation, a design, print and a website creation business based in London.
He has served in the Cabinet of both David Cameron and Boris Johnson.
Following Cameron’s appointment, Shapps was made minister of state for housing and local government.
In the 2012 reshuffle, he was made chairman of the Conservative Party and minister without portfolio.
After supporting Johnson’s 2019 leadership bid, Shapps was appointed as Transport Secretary in July 2019.
He stayed in the role until September 2022.
What has he said about Liz Truss?
Shapps was sacked by Truss when she was elected Prime Minister.
Prior to the Conservative Party conference, he told the News Agents podcast: "I think it is obvious to say that there is a limited period of time to turn things around from what's been a choppy, difficult start."
Pressure continues to mount on Liz Truss following the economic turmoil caused by her mini-budget.
Who is Michael Green?
In 2015, Shapps admitted he "screwed up" when he suggested he never had a second job whilst working as an MP.
This came after The Guardian issued what it said was a recording of a sales pitch made in the summer of 2006 in which Shapps, under the name Michael Green, said he would be running a "mentoring programme" to hire staff and produce software to create websites, claiming his products could make listeners a "ton of cash by Christmas".
Shapps went onto admit he had “over firmly” denied continuing to work as a web marketing expert under the name Michael Green after being elected in 2005.
Prior to saying this, he had told LBC it was “absolutely clear” he was not doing business as Green while still an MP, saying: “I did not have a second job while being an MP; end of story” before admitting he was mistaken over the dates of his outside employment.
