Shapes as Defence Secretary …really?

Tom Tugendaht would have been so much more suitable for such a heavyweight role, to mention one. Why oh why couldn't Sunak have found someone else. I'm sure there would have been several backbench MPs who could make a success of it.

I recently read a novel written IIRC by E. F.Benson (Mapp and Lucia) in the very late 1800s, where one of the main characters, a very senior ex army chap, was fully expected soon to be appointed to the then equivalent of Defence Secretary.

It was considered a radical and wonderful new thing even then, that anybody with actual practical experience of what he was going to be in charge of, was going to get the post.

But he died before it could happen - killed in a heroic attempt to save his long-term mistress’s life.

EFB’s early novels were very moralistic, quite unlike the later, funny and lighthearted ones.

Tom Tugenhat has military experience but he's a Liberal, not what is needed at present. We need someone who is not afraid to get tough.
Discipline, efficiency and common sense is what is needed....hard to find anyone who fits that description!

Urmstongran

I had hoped Tom Tugendhat might have been given the post. Shapps is a shirt button.

Glad that sentence ended in button 😬😄

This is his fifth job in a year,

He was obviously so useless in all of the other four that he had to be moved on..

Do we really need a conman with absolutely no military knowledge or experience as Minister for Defense?

Witzend

Ghastly spiv. IMO of course.

KC will put him right

Or the Chief of the Defence Staff will sort him out.

Ghastly spiv. IMO of course.

Hetty58

It doesn't really matter - as he won't be doing anything important, after all. The Civil Service will run things, as usual. I really don't think 'talent' and 'Tories' belong in the same sentence.

I think the Head of the Armed Forces is the best one to advise a Defence Secretary who may not know anything about defence.

Hetty58

It doesn't really matter - as he won't be doing anything important, after all. The Civil Service will run things, as usual. I really don't think 'talent' and 'Tories' belong in the same sentence.

LOL

It doesn't really matter - as he won't be doing anything important, after all. The Civil Service will run things, as usual. I really don't think 'talent' and 'Tories' belong in the same sentence.

Having a minister that knows the subject is a real handicap for a government because imposing change is much harder, Wallace knew the capabilities and limitations of the UK military, inside out.
Schapps will a yes man for sure, ideal!

I was going to comment that the Tories were running out of talent, but that presupposes there ever was any talent and I fear that since the days of some of those now consigned to the back benches or even further away, talent has been in short supply.

It seems Sunak,went for the two people, who were promoted, who aren't considered much use, but do spend a lot of time trawling around the media, telling us all how wonderful Sunak and the Tories are now.🙄

I know there's a dearth of talent in the Tory government now, but there must have been someone better than Schapps/Green/whoever he is today.

Schnapps is quite a good name for him.

He has had at least 3 other names. He is a spiv. Scraping the barrel surely.

‘Smart’ motorways spring to my mind. Buffoon.
No gravitas at all.

Jack of all trades springs to mind.

I had hoped Tom Tugendhat might have been given the post. Shapps is a shirt button.

Uanews reports that their own Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov congratulated Grant Schnapps on his appointment as Minister of Defense of Great Britain!
Budmo! 👏

Shapps aka Michael Green.
inews.co.uk/news/who-grant-shapps-michael-green-alias-uk-defense-secretary-2584069

Oreo

So many names too!😂
Shapes, Schapps and Shapps.Any others?

shape shifter maybe..

So many names too!😂
Shapes, Schapps and Shapps.Any others?

He can turn his hand to anything.. apparently

Casdon

I did rate Ben Wallace, he was the best of the cabinet in my opinion - loads of experience, sensible and not a game player. I think he is a difficult act to follow, but surely there were better candidates for the role than Schapps.

I agree.
Defence Sec doesn’t always come with military training or position tho OP.
Grant Shapps doesn’t fill anyone with confidence.

😄😄😄😄 was my reaction.

“You can’t be serious” Sunak!!