Grant Shapps appointed UK’s new defence secretary, Downing Street says
Grant Shapps has been announced as the UK’s new defence secretary, as the prime minister carries out a mini-reshuffle at the top of government.
The appointment comes after Ben Wallace revealed last month he would be leaving the role the next time Rishi Sunak made changes to his cabinet – as well as stepping down as an MP at the next election.
Mr Shapps had been serving as the energy security and net zero secretary before his promotion to the Ministry of Defence.
Politics live: Mini-reshuffle begins – follow live updates
The new role will be his fifth cabinet position in a year – having been transport secretary under Boris Johnson, having a brief stint as home secretary under Liz Truss, and having been appointed business secretary when Mr Sunak first took office.
It is not yet clear who will replace Mr Shapps in his current role, but minister for children, Claire Coutinho, was seen entering Number 10 this morning.
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates said both MPs were “loyalists”, adding they had been chosen “not just perhaps because of their skills, but because they have stuck by Rishi Sunak”.
Minister for children, Claire Coutinho, was spotted heading into Downing Street on Thursday morning.
Tweeting after his appointment, the new defence secretary said he was “honoured to be appointed” to his post and he paid tribute to his predecessor’s “enormous contribution… to UK defence and global security”.
Mr Shapps added: “As I get to work… I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”
But the new hire has already attracted criticism from opposition parties, with Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Richard Foord saying: “At a time when the Armed Forces need someone to stand up for them, Rishi Sunak has appointed a yes-man.
“The Conservative government merry-go-round has to stop. They have taken the Armed Forces for granted for too long, and we are all left less safe as a result.”
Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey congratulated his new opposite number on Twitter – but accompanied his welcome with a dig.
“The first duty of any government is to keep our country safe and I will always work with the new defence secretary on this basis, especially on Ukraine.
“But after 13 years of Tory defence failures, a change at the top will not change this record.”
‘Time to invest’
Mr Wallace officially resigned his post on Thursday morning, saying it had been a “privilege” to serve in the post for four years.
In his letter to the PM, he said the Ministry of Defence was now “more modern, better funded and more confident than the organisation I took over in 2019”, and it was “back on the path to being once again world class with world class people”.
And in a parting shot to secure his department’s future, Mr Wallace added: “I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by government and savings were achieved by hollowing out.
“I genuinely believe that over the next decade the world will get more insecure and more unstable. We both share the belief that now is the time to invest.”
Ben Wallace, announced he planned to step down in July, but officially resigned on Thursday.
Mr Sunak responded to the letter by saying the outgoing defence secretary had “served our country with distinction”.
He added: “I fully understand your desire to step down after eight years of exacting ministerial duties. As you say, the jobs you have done have required you to be available on a continuous basis.
“But I know you have more to offer public life both here and internationally. You leave office with my thanks and respect.”
A Labour source said Mr Wallace had “shown important leadership in supporting Ukraine from the start”.
But, while they said the former minister “deserves credit for his support” of Ukrainian fighters, “his record on British armed forces has been poor, with cuts and procurement failures the order of the day”.
The source added: “The new defence secretary needs to get a grip, boost British forces and give them the resources, kit and accommodation they deserve.”
Former prime minister Boris Johnson said he was “sad to see the departure” of Mr Wallace, who “got so many calls right – especially on Ukraine”. But he praised the expected appointment of Mr Shapps, calling it “an excellent choice”.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on government officials to address questions related to US President Donald Trump’s memecoin and his media company.
In an April 25 letter to Jamieson Greer, acting director of the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff requested that officials address concerns about Trump’s memecoin after the president announced a dinner and White House tour for some of the individuals who held the most TRUMP tokens. The two senators requested that Greer provide information on safeguards and guidelines related to whether foreign actors and others could buy political influence with the president, potentially impacting his policy positions and federal pardons.
“President Trump’s announcement promises exclusive access to the presidency in exchange for significant investment in one of the President’s business ventures,” wrote the two senators.
“In promising such access, this proposition may implicate several federal ethics laws and constitutional prohibitions, including the federal bribery statute and emoluments clauses of the US Constitution. It also raises the troubling prospect that foreign actors are using the memecoin as a vector to buy influence with President Trump and his associates without needing to disclose their identities publicly.”
The letter was sent the same day Warren reportedly expressed similar concerns about Trump’s potential conflicts of interest with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to an April 25 Reuters report, the Massachusetts senator urged SEC Chair Paul Atkins to ensure that oversight of Trump’s media company was “free from undue political interference and influence from the President and his administration.”
Related: Trump’s WLFI crypto investments aren’t paying off
Though ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, Warren does not have the authority to direct Congress’s agenda with Democrats in the minority. Two Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have already called for Trump’s impeachment over his memecoin dinner.
Warren added:
“The American people deserve the unwavering assurance that access to the presidency is not being offered for sale to the highest bidder in exchange for the President’s own financial gain.”
At the time of publication, it was unclear who among the top TRUMP memecoin holders would attend the dinner, scheduled to be held on May 22 at Trump’s golf club in Washington, DC. Speculation and analysis of users suggested that Trump supporters, including Tron founder Justin Sun, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and others, could attend, though none had been confirmed as of April 28.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
Crypto users betting on the outcome of the snap election to determine the next Prime Minister of Canada appear to be favoring a Liberal Party victory as residents head to cast their votes.
As of April 28, cryptocurrency betting platform Polymarket gave current Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party candidate Mark Carney a 79% chance of defeating Conservative Party candidate Pierre Poilievre in the race for the country’s next PM. Data from the platform showed users had poured more than $75 million into bets surrounding the race, predicting a Poilievre or Carney victory.
The odds suggested by the platform, as well as those from many polls, show a nearly complete reversal of fortunes between the two candidates after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned in January. Trudeau and, by association, many in the Liberal Party, faced criticism over the handling of Canada’s housing crisis and questions about how he would face US President Donald Trump’s then-proposed tariffs.
Following Trudeau’s resignation, Trump stepped up rhetoric disparaging Canada, repeatedly referring to the country as the US’s “51st state” and Trudeau as its “governor.” The US President also imposed a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada in March. The policies seem to have led to increasing anti-Trump sentiment in Canada, with many residents booing the US national anthem at hockey games and making comparisons between the president and Poilievre.
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
Politics
Small boat crossings pass 10,000 at earliest point in year since records began, Sky News understands
Small boat crossings have passed 10,000 in 2025 at the earliest point in a year since records began, Sky News understands.
Analysis of previous Home Office numbers and footage of people arriving today show the number of people crossing the Channel continuing to rise.
The issue has become a lodestone for political parties across the spectrum, with Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “Stop The Boats” falling well short.
Politics latest: PM warns of Tory-Reform pact ‘disaster’
Sir Keir Starmer promised to clear the backlog of asylum applications and “Smash The Gangs” of people smugglers upstream, but critics say he has failed to do this almost a year into his stint in Number Ten.
Reform’s Nigel Farage has made the issue key to his party’s pitch to voters.
The 10,000 figure is understood to have been passed on 28 April. Official figures only go until 27 April at the time of writing, with 9,885 people detected crossing the Channel by the UK government at this point
This compares to 7,167 by the same date in 2024, 5,745 in 2023, 5,352 in 2022, and 1,796 in 2021. Data only started to get collected in 2018, and for the first three years fewer than 1,000 people were observed crossing the Channel before 28 April.
Fine weather conditions are known to lead to an increase in people crossing the Channel, with some efforts earlier this year stymied by heavy winds.
Sir Keir scrapped the Conservative’s Rwanda deportation plan when entering office. In March, the prime minister said his government had “returned” 24,000 people who had no right to be in the UK.
Read more:
Why more people cross on the weekend?
Gusty conditions halt small boat crossings
Starmer: 24,000 people returned
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Britain’s borders are being torn apart under Labour. This year is already the worst on record for small boat crossings after over 10,000 illegal immigrants arrived in Britain, but Labour just sit on their hands.
“Labour scrapped our deterrent before it even started, flung open the door to extremists and criminals, and handed the bill to hardworking taxpayers.
“Under new Conservative leadership, we are serious about tackling this crisis with deliverable reforms, but Labour continue to block these at every turn. Labour’s open-door chaos is a betrayal of the British people, and we will not let them get away with it.”
Mr Philp was part of previous Conservative governments, which also failed to reduce crossings.
Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Farage said: “If this carries on at this rate, by the end of this Labour government another quarter of a million people will have come into this country, many of whom frankly don’t fit our culture or cost us a fortune.”
He claimed that Reform is “the only party” saying that “unless you deport those that come illegally, they will just continue to come”.
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A Home Office spokesperson said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
“The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.
“That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage.
“Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security and Asylum Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.”
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