Grant Shapps

Grant Shapps is a British politician, Minister of Defense (from August 31, 2023).

Brief biography

Shapps was born on September 14, 1968 in Watford.

He graduated from a local school and then studied business at Manchester Metropolitan University.

In 2000, Grant was diagnosed with cancer but underwent a successful course of chemotherapy.

He ran for the House of Commons three times for the Conservative Party. He lost twice and only succeeded the third time in 2005.

From 2010-2012 he was junior minister for housing and local government in David Cameron's cabinet.

In 2012 he was also made co-chair of the Conservative Party and shared the position of Minister without portfolio with Kenneth Clarke.

In March 2015, he was caught up in a scandal when he casually admitted that he had continued to hold executive positions and hold shares in PrintHouse Corporation after being elected to the House of Commons, using the pseudonym Michael Green.

In 2015, Cameron formed a new cabinet, appointing Shapps as junior minister for international development.

In November 2015, Shapps resigned after press accusations of inaction in a situation involving the intimidation of a man. Shapps allegedly took no action against Conservative youth activist Mark Clarke, who bullied 21-year-old Eliot Johnson, who was later found dead.

In 2019, Shapps was appointed transport minister in Boris Johnson's government.

In October 2022, he was appointed UK Home Secretary in the government of Liz Truss.

In the same month, however, he changed positions, receiving the portfolio of Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Industrial Strategy already in the government of Rishi Sunak.

On August 31, 2023, Shapps was appointed head of the UK Ministry of Defense when Ben Wallace left the post.

Family

Shapps is married to Belinda Goldstone.

The couple are now raising three children born using IVF.