Grant Shapps has been moved from his current role as energy secretary to take on the defense brief, writes POLITICO.

The appointment was made to replace Ben Wallace, who stepped down as the U.K.’s defense minister Thursday after four years in the role. Claire Coutinho has been appointed as the new energy secretary, becoming the first MP elected in 2019 to be given a top Cabinet post.

Shapps, who has held several senior Cabinet posts during his career, is a long-time ally of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and will take over responsibility for guiding the U.K.’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In his resignation letter, Wallace, who is also standing down at an MP at the next election, said the Ministry of Defence was a “more modern, better funded and more confident than the organization I took over in 2019”. But he implored the Prime Minister and his successor to push for additional funding for the military: “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”.

In a message on social media, Shapps said: “I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our armed forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion”.