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Ben Wallace was unexpectedly replaced as Britain's defence minister on Thursday by Grant Shapps, a former energy minister, in a move that confirmed London's support for Ukraine while also raising concerns about his lack of military expertise.

Grant Shapps was appointed as the new energy minister by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who also made Claire Coutinho his replacement.

After Wallace resigned and Sunak built up his team in preparation for the upcoming national election, he will probably use Shapps' skill in media relations to challenge the opposition Labour Party's advantage in the polls.

"I am looking forward to working with the courageous men and women who protect the security of our country in our Armed Forces. Shapps made this statement on X after the government announced his appointment. "And continuing the UK's support for Ukraine in their struggle against Putin's barbaric invasion," the government stated.

In an effort to aid Kiev in driving back Russian soldiers and restocking its own stockpiles, Britain, a major defense supplier to Ukraine, is aiming to increase its manufacture of weapons, especially artillery shells.

Moscow has denounced Britain's military assistance to Ukraine and claimed that it will just prolong the conflict.

Many Conservative Party lawmakers expressed astonishment at Shapps' selection and questioned his background in military matters.

After serving as the minister for business, interior affairs, energy, and net zero, where he was replaced on Thursday by former children's minister Claire Coutinho, it will be his fifth post in a year.

When Shapps had to defend a former adviser for violating COVID-19 restrictions last month, he made light of his position as the government's "crisis communications" spokesperson by telling journalists that a junior official told him: "There isn't anybody in the entire world who would want to be in your shoes right now."

In a letter to Sunak, Wallace announced his retirement as defense minister and urged the British prime minister not to view defense as a "discretionary spend" while expressing his support for the administration.

After serving in the position for four years, a former British army captain who helped organize the country's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine announced last month that he intended to leave and pursue other options outside of parliament, according to Reuters.

He argued that Ukraine should be grateful and stop treating its partners like "Amazon" at a recent NATO conference. Later, he claimed that his remarks "were somewhat misrepresented" and emphasized the fact that London's connection with Kyiv was more of a partnership than a business one.

Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine's minister of defense, expressed gratitude to Wallace for his "energy and dedication" on Thursday, stating on X that "his authority has inspired other countries to join in assisting Ukraine."