As a Michael Bublé fan, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has been teased for his musical tastes. Yet at a time of war and instability in Europe, there is more of a touch of Radiohead about his choice of Grant Shapps to replace Ben Wallace as secretary of defence – no alarms and no surprises, please.
The experienced Shapps is a reliable, safe minister and a consummate media performer. He is unlikely to startle the UK’s allies with loose words at a time of strife. He also comes with the added bonus of being a staunch Sunak ally, having supported him in both his bids for Number 10 last year. Wallace, who butted heads with the prime minister over budgets, was not always seen as malleable.
Shapps’s in-tray is considerable. The army’s net resources have been shrinking at a time when they are needed more than ever, in the face of what the UK perceives as the global threat from Russia. Wallace had argued that the threat from the east and the impact of inflation meant the defence budget should rise by £11 billion (€12.85 billion) over two years. He received a commitment for less than half of that.
Wallace is a former army captain and was respected among senior military figures for his acceptance of the need to grow defence spending. He was also close to Ukraine, whose defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, lauded him for “inspiring other countries to join in assisting” the fight against Russia.
[ Mark Paul's report: Shapps replaces Wallace as UK defence secretaryOpens in new window ]
Shapps, meanwhile, has no military or defence experience. Yet having moved over from the energy security brief, he already understands from his previous role that the war between Russia and Ukraine has the potential to affect the everyday lives of British citizens.
He is also well known for having being the most high profile UK politician to welcome Ukrainian refugees into his home. That ought to soothe any worries in Kyiv about whether or not he might lack commitment to their struggle.
Wallace, meanwhile, appears determined to leave politics altogether. He was bitterly disappointed at his failure to land the job of Nato secretary general this summer, when the US, France and others backed Jens Stoltenberg to stay on for another year.
European nations are said to want a former head of government to take the Nato role next, which would continue to rule out Wallace. Yet Sunak, in publicly suggesting that the outgoing defence secretary still has a potential future role in public life “internationally”, appears to be leaving the door open for his man to have another run at the job next year, if the UK’s allies can be convinced.
[ Volodymyr Zelenskiy attacks Nato compromise on Ukraine membershipOpens in new window ]