Grant Shapps has defended his appointment as defence secretary – saying the department “needs highly experienced cabinet ministers”.
There was a backlash after Rishi Sunak’s ally was moved into one of the top roles in government amid a war in Europe – despite having no military experience.
Critics claimed the prime minister had chosen appearance over substance.
Politics Hub: First PMQs since recess today
But Mr Shapps, who has also run the energy, business and transport departments, brushed off criticism that he got his role “because it was a job for the boys” – even as he admitted he lacked knowledge about the Army.
Grilled on how many ranks there are in the Army, he told Sky News he did not know the answer “off the top of my head”.
But he insisted: “Look, what the Ministry of Defence needs is the highly experienced cabinet ministers who can run a complex infrastructure-orientated department.
“I’ve had a lot of experience of running very large budgets and complex departments.”
Mr Shapps added that “only two of the last 15 defence secretaries have had any military background themselves”.
He said: “It’s not usual in democracy where we actually pride ourselves on having civilians run all elements of government, including our military. What I do know is how to run the department.”
Ben Wallace, Mr Shapps’ predecessor and a former Army officer, had played a key role in galvanising international support to arm the Ukrainian military.
He resigned from cabinet last week with a warning that “over the next decade, the world will get more insecure and more unstable”.
In a parting shot to secure his department’s future, Mr Wallace also added: “I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by government and savings were achieved by hollowing out.”
Asked if he would be as vocal as Mr Wallace, Mr Shapps suggested he would lobby for higher defence spending but said he’ll “do it in my own way” – adding: “I’ve spoken before about my desire to see a higher defence budget, well before being in this role.”
He said defence spending is already on the rise, with the aim of it going up to 2.5%.
“I fully support that,” Mr Shapps said. “I think it’s very important that we are protected as a nation, but also that we’re doing our part around the world to help the world be better protected.”