Political scientist Svetov: there is no good to expect from the new Minister of Defense of England
Russia should not expect anything good from the appointment of ex-Energy Minister Grant Shapps to the post of head of the UK Defense Ministry. This was reported to Izvestia on August 31 by political scientist Yuri Svetov.
"We don't have to expect anything good from him. In general, this is a fairly typical career official for the UK who is ready to work in any position," Svetov believes.
He noted that since his election to Parliament in 2005, Shapps has been a junior minister. In total, he has changed five ministerial positions in four years, according to the calculations of a political scientist.
"He is ready to be anyone — Minister of Transport, Minister of Energy, Minister of Carbon Neutrality. Now, then, here he is, the Minister of Defense will be. He tried to apply for the post of prime minister in the same period [of time], but without success: he did not succeed. But they say that he is such a loyal ally of the current Prime Minister [Rishi] Sunak," Svetov said.
Svetov believes that the post of Defense Minister will become a stepping stone for subsequent claims to the post of prime minister. He stated that there are places in Shapps' biography related to "tricks" — combining political activity with business.
According to Svetov, as for Ukraine, Shapps will continue the line of ex-Defense Minister Ben Wallace. He noted that Shapps demonstrated solidarity with Ukraine by settling seven refugees from this country in his house.
"[President of Ukraine] Vladimir Zelensky announced on the eve of the appointment that an agreement had been reached with the British military-industrial company that there would be production of British military equipment in Ukraine, and this Shapps, of course, would defend this position and continue, despite the fact that Russia has repeatedly warned that those who are going to build in Ukraine military enterprises must take into account all the risks of defeat," Svetov notes.
In conclusion, Svetov expressed the hope that Shapps is unlikely to become Prime Minister of England in the future.
Earlier in the day, former Energy Minister Grant Shapps was appointed to the post of head of the UK Ministry of Defense. Deputy Interior Minister Tom Tugendhat, Deputy Foreign Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt also claimed the post.
On the same day, former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced his resignation from his post. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, accepting his resignation, noted that he does it "with gratitude and respect." Wallace, in turn, promised the Prime Minister and the government continued support.
Wallace confirmed in an interview with The Times on July 15 that he would leave office this fall and retire from politics. Doctor of Political Sciences, associate professor of the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University Alexey Fenenko, in a conversation with Izvestia on July 17, suggested that the possible reasons for Wallace's departure from the post of British Defense Minister are related to planned rotations in the British establishment. He believes that Wallace did not work well with the new Prime Minister Sunak or was offered a less responsible, but no less honorable position.