Shapps blocked from standing again for the Conservatives
Former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Grant Shapps has been blocked from standing as a parliamentary candidate for the party. Party leader Kemi Badenoch defended the decision as part of a broader effort to renew the party following their 2024 election defeat.
Why it matters
The exclusion of a high-profile former minister signals a significant shift in the internal power dynamics and branding of the UK Conservative Party.
Figure caption, Watch: Badenoch questioned on Grant Shapps in full
Political editor Published 23 July 2026 Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC she leads "a brand new party full of new people" - after it emerged in the Spectator , external that the former cabinet minister and Tory party chairman Sir Grant Shapps has been rejected as a Conservative Party parliamentary candidate.
Sir Grant, who has declined to comment, served in nine ministerial roles in government as well as co-chairing the party.
In cabinet, he served as home secretary, defence secretary, transport secretary, business secretary, energy secretary and net zero secretary.
He was also a Foreign Office Minister, housing minister and international development minister , external .
He lost his Welwyn Hatfield seat to Labour's Andrew Lewin in 2024 by 3,799 votes after representing it since 2005.
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