Who is Grant Shapps, where does he represent and how long has he been in government?

If you haven’t been affected by the rail strikes going on this summer, you might be the only one. For the rest of the country, the impact of the strikes has been widely felt.

While many still support the reason for striking – especially as the cost of living sees bills soaring and inflation reaching over 10% – it’s fair to assume people would like to see the strikes end.

For the rail workers to call it off, there needs to be an agreement made to satisfy everyone’s needs – and this is where people like Grant Shapps come in.

As Secretary of State for Transport, Shapps is an important figure in the discussions. Here’s everything you need to know about the MP…

Who is Grant Shapps and is he married?

Shapps is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Transport since 2019.

He has been married to Belinda Goldstone since 1997, and the couple share three children.

While Grant has been in politics for a long time – and was a small businessman before that – his family have taken a different path.

His brother, Andre Shapps, is a musician who was a member of Big Audio Dynamite (BAD) between 1994 and 1998, and their cousin, Mick Jones, was a notable figure in punk rock, being a founding member of the Clash.

Where does Grant Shapps represent as an MP?

After a few unsuccessful bids to be elected into parliament starting in 1994, Shapps stood again in the 2005 general election and was elected as the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield.

He defeated Labour MP and Minister for Public Health, Melanie Johnson and received 22,172 votes (49.6%), with a majority of 5,946 (13.3%).

Grant Shapps’ political career

Following David Cameron’s appointment as Prime Minister, Shapps was appointed Minister of State for Housing and Local Government.

In the 2012 cabinet reshuffle he was promoted to the Cabinet as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio.

In May 2015, he was demoted from the Cabinet, becoming Minister of State for International Development. In November 2015, he stood down from this post due to allegations of bullying within the Conservative Party.

He supported Boris Johnson’s 2019 Conservative leadership bid, and when Johnson became Prime Minister, he appointed Shapps as Transport Secretary.

Since Shapps assumed the role it has exercised greater influence than under his predecessors, with the effective nationalisation of the Northern Trains franchise and the recent negotiations amidst nationwide strikes.

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