UK: Grant Shapps Appointed Minister of Defense Following Wallace

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed his resignation from the position today, Thursday, in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, expressing his continued support for the government while warning the Prime Minister not to view defense as "non-essential spending." British sources reported that Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new British Defense Minister, succeeding Wallace. In his official resignation letter, Wallace reiterated his plea to the government to avoid using defense as a means to cut spending. He wrote: "The Ministry of Defence has returned to becoming world-class once again with world-class people." He added, "I know you agree with me that we should not return to the days when defense was viewed as a discretionary government expenditure to achieve savings by stripping it down."