The reaction to surprise appointment of Grant Shapps as Defence Secretary
Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new Defence Secretary - a move which has been viewed as somewhat of a surprise.
Mr Shapps has not held a role in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) before, leading some figures to question his capability in the new position, with one former chief of the general staff of the British Army saying Mr Shapps knows "very little about defence".
General Lord Richard Dannatt told Sky News it would take him "quite some time to get up to speed".
The former head of the British Army added that Mr Shapps's predecessor, Ben Wallace, had done a good job, but "leaves with work in progress".
He said of Mr Shapps: "Now we have a new Defence Secretary who knows very little about defence and it's a complex portfolio. It will take him quite some time to get up to speed.
"I think there is a risk that certainly the debate on resources for defence stagnates, at least until Grant Shapps can get his head around his portfolio."
Lord Dannatt added: "I think what the chief of defence staff and the single service chiefs will be hoping from the new Secretary of State for Defence is that he will listen to the concerns that they have within the wider context of the insecurity of the world.
"And although he may well have been appointed as someone who is going to support the Prime Minister and help the Conservative Party in its general election campaign, they will be hoping that he will really understand defence and push the case for defence, not just for the Ministry of Defence’s own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole country.
"Because there is a very strong case that we should be investing more in defence than we currently are. Ben Wallace knew that. Ben Wallace was arguing for it. Is that discussion going to continue? Or will Grant Shapps choose to go quietly?"
Reacting to the Mr Shapps' appointment, Professor Michael Clarke, a former director of the think tank Rusi, told the BBC: "It was always going to be a caretaker appointment from now until the election.
"Shapps is a great caretaker. Six months in Energy, three months in Business and three days as home secretary.
"We don't really know how good he is at running the big departments, but we'll find out."
'Competent and capable minister'
Conservative MP and former soldier Tobias Ellwood backed the new Defence Secretary to succeed in the role.
The chair of the Commons Defence Committee said he was speaking in a personal capacity as he rejected concerns about Mr Shapps's knowledge of military matters.
He told BBC Radio 4's World at one Programme: "He's a very competent and capable minister. He understands the Whitehall machine. He’s actually one of the best communicators that is in the Cabinet at the moment.
"He sits on, or has sat on, the National Security Council as well. He's a pilot, so very familiar with the air domain too and indeed was coincidentally in Ukraine, in Kyiv, last week talking about nuclear power and other aspects too, so very familiar with what's going on.
"I don't need to remind everybody that he will be surrounded by one of the most professional civil service machines in the world."
He also predicted that the new Defence Secretary, a frequent user of the social media app TikTok, would probably come out of his first MOD briefing with fewer apps on his phone.
Mr Ellwood explained: "He'll be getting the mother of all briefings when he walks into the MOD.
"I suspect he might have his phone, not taken away from him, but certainly he'll come out with less apps on his phone than when he walks in."
Meanwhile, former prime minister Boris Johnson said Mr Shapps was an "excellent choice".
The view from Labour
Shadow defence secretary John Healey congratulated Mr Shapps, but warned: "After 13 years of Tory defence failures, a change at the top will not change this record."
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said she believed Mr Shapps to be a "talented politician", adding: "I wish him well, and I hope he listens to the advice of the experts who will be in the MOD."
But she also said the reshuffle was just a case of "moving the deckchairs" and the Government was still a "sinking ship".
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