Former Conservative defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps has resigned from his position at a prominent aerospace company due to concerns that he may have violated regulations regarding employment for former government officials.
At the age of 57, Sir Grant Shapps, who served in various roles in the cabinets of Cameron, Johnson, Truss, and Sunak, stepped down as the chair of Cambridge Aerospace on April 30. This decision came after the company secured a lucrative government contract for missile systems.
Mr. Shapps, who previously oversaw defense matters under Rishi Sunak, had initially asserted that his involvement with the aerospace firm was limited to civilian projects. However, the company’s focus later shifted towards defense-related activities.
New correspondence released on Tuesday between Shapps and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) revealed that there were prior warnings for him to update his public profiles, including his LinkedIn page, which incorrectly portrayed him as the chair of a defense-oriented organization.
According to regulations governing post-ministerial employment, former ministers are prohibited from lobbying the government for a specified period after leaving office and must seek guidance from ACOBA before accepting any external job offers.
In the initial communications in November 2024, Shapps was instructed by ACOBA to confine his work with the aerospace firm to civilian projects. However, the company later secured a substantial contract with the Ministry of Defence for Skyhammer interceptor missiles.
In a letter dated May 12, the former defense secretary acknowledged that significant global events had altered the aerospace landscape, blurring the lines between military and civilian sectors. He expressed regret for not seeking updated advice from ACOBA as the company’s activities evolved.
While admitting his oversight, Shapps emphasized that he had no involvement in securing the Ministry of Defence contract and had minimal knowledge of the process. He maintained that he did not misuse confidential information from his time in office, refrain from lobbying the UK government, and avoid leveraging his contacts for business gain.
Sir Laurie Magnus informed Shapps on May 19 that he had allowed a perception of impropriety to emerge, neglected to seek updated advice on his evolving role, and failed to act on ACOBA’s directives to rectify public information about Cambridge Aerospace and his role within the company.
Shapps, formerly the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield before losing his seat in the recent General Election to Labour’s Andrew Lewin, has now stepped down from his role at Cambridge Aerospace amid these controversies.
