Grant Shapps quits aerospace firm after watchdog probe

Grant Shapps quits aerospace firm after watchdog probe13 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePA MediaSir Grant Shapps served as defence secretary under Rishi SunakA former Conservative defence secretary has quit his job with a missile manufacturer over concerns he broke the rules governing the employment of former ministers.Sir Grant Shapps resigned as chairman of Cambridge Aerospace on 30 April "to simplify matters" and after the firm secured a multimillion-pound government missile contract.He said he had had no involvement in the deal or the company's military work and, despite a title of "chairman", had not chaired its board or been a director, but was "one of several co-founders".Ministerial ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus said he had "allowed a perception of impropriety to develop" and "failed to uphold the standards expected in the rules".Sir Grant served as defence secretary under Rishi Sunak and has held a number of ministerial posts in government. He was the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2024, when he lost his seat in the general election.Getty ImagesSir Grant was a prominent government minister under both Boris Johnson and Rishi SunakThe now defunct Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) approved his role with the company in 2025 on condition that he play no part in its defence-related work until two years after he left office.Acoba's decision was criticised by anti-corruption campaigners at the time, including Labour MP Phil Brickell, who said Sir Grant's claim the company was focused on "civilian aerospace" was "stretching credulity" given the firm's own description of itself as involved in "defence tech".In correspondence with Sir Grant, Sir Laurie questioned whether he had complied with this condition, noting the company "seems publicly to have only one project, which is defence-related&qu...