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Grant ShappsUK Secretary of State for Defence from 31 August 2023
Date of Birth: 14.09.1968
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Content:
- Grant Shapps: A Brief Biography
- Chairmanship of the Conservative Party
- Post-Chairmanship
- Return to Government
- Minister of Defence
- Personal Life
Grant Shapps: A Brief Biography
Early Life and CareerGrant Shapps was born on September 14, 1968, in Watford, England, into a Jewish family. He attended the local grammar school and later studied business at Manchester Metropolitan University.
After unsuccessful attempts to enter Parliament in 1997 and 2001, Shapps was elected as the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire in 2005. He served as a junior housing minister under David Cameron's government from 2010-2012.
Chairmanship of the Conservative Party
In 2012, Shapps became co-chairman of the Conservative Party, alongside Kenneth Clarke. He held this position until March 2015, when he mistakenly revealed that he had not resigned from his business roles after his election to Parliament in 2005, as he had previously declared. Despite this controversy, he remained in the government as a junior minister for international development.
Post-Chairmanship
However, in May 2015, Shapps was moved to the backbenches following the general election. He was accused of using a pseudonym to continue running his business, PrintHouse Corporation, while serving as an MP.
Shapps was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Wikipedia Arbitration Committee and Audit Subcommittee in 2015. However, he resigned as international development minister in November 2015 after allegations that he failed to act on claims of bullying within the Conservative Party.
Return to Government
In 2019, Shapps was appointed Transport Secretary under Boris Johnson's government. He oversaw the fuel crisis in September 2021, which was caused by a shortage of truck drivers.
In October 2022, Shapps became Home Secretary following the resignation of Suella Braverman. He was then appointed Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Secretary in Rishi Sunak's government in October 2022.
Minister of Defence
On August 31, 2023, Shapps was appointed as the UK's Secretary of State for Defence, replacing Ben Wallace.
Personal Life
Shapps married Belinda Goldstone in 1997. They have three children who were conceived through IVF. In 2000, Shapps was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy. He is a passionate aviator and owns a Piper PA-32R light aircraft. Shapps is a cousin of punk rocker Mick Jones.
