Grant Shapps Appointed as New UK Defense Minister

Hours after the resignation of Ben Wallace, the UK Defense Minister, the Prime Minister of the country appointed Grant Shapps, a cabinet member, as the new Defense Minister. Wallace informed Rishi Sunak of his resignation on Thursday morning, and Sunak agreed to this request. According to Sky News, Grant Shapps arrives at the UK Defense Ministry having been a member of the cabinet under three recent Prime Ministers. He served as the Transport Minister in Boris Johnson's government, became the Home Secretary in Liz Truss's government, and held the position of Energy Minister in Rishi Sunak's government before taking on the Defense role. In his resignation, Wallace stated that he is also stepping down from his parliamentary representation. Some media outlets speculate that Ben Wallace may be aiming to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary-General. The 64-year-old Stoltenberg had previously announced that he would step down in the fall of 2023. Besides Wallace, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis have also been mentioned as other candidates. The UK has sent long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time. Discussions are ongoing to strengthen US-UK relations; Biden and Sunak met at the White House. The British Navy seized a shipment of smuggled Iranian weapons in the Gulf of Oman.