New defence secretary Grant Shapps confuses RAF with Royal Navy on second week of job while speaking to LBC

6 September 2023, 12:06

Grant Shapps slips up, mistaking RAF with Royal Navy

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Grant Shapps has confused the Royal Air Force with the Royal Navy on the second week of his new job while speaking to LBC.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Wednesday, the new defence secretary described the UK's aircraft carriers as being "the largest carriers the RAF has ever had".

This is incorrect, as aircraft carriers are built and operated by the Royal Navy, rather than the RAF.

It was not the only slip-up Mr Shapps made on Wednesday as he settles into his new role - his fifth in 12 months.

Earlier in the morning, he was unable to list how many ranks there are in the army while speaking to Sky.

Mr Shapps was announced as the new defence secretary, replacing Ben Wallace, who had been in the role for several years.

Read More: 'Isolated' Putin has begun 'training Russia's schoolchildren to use guns and grenades,' Defence Secretary says

Read More: Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as defence secretary after warnings world becoming 'more insecure and more unstable'

Mr Wallace will not stand as an MP at the next election, which will take place next year.

During his interview with LBC, Mr Shapps revealed that children in secondary schools across Russia are being shown how to handle guns and lob grenades as part of the national curriculum.

Crumbling concrete schools would have been rebuilt under scrapped scheme

Mr Shapps said Putin was becoming "isolated" and had to resort to training schoolchildren as his supply of well-trained troops dries up.

Mr Shapps told LBC: “They’ve introduced in their curriculum… a degree of military training to school kids.”