Grant Shapps has been blocked from a Conservative candidacy, in a move that underlines Kemi Badenoch’s push to remake the party ahead of the next general election. The Grant Shapps candidate ban emerged after the BBC reported that the former cabinet minister and Tory chairman had been rejected as a parliamentary candidate, while Badenoch described the Conservatives as a “brand new party full of new people.”
Sir Grant did not comment on the decision. He has held a long list of senior government posts, serving as home secretary, defence secretary, transport secretary, business secretary, energy secretary and net zero secretary. He also served as a Foreign Office minister, housing minister and international development minister, and had co-chaired the party. His record made him one of the most recognisable figures in recent Conservative governments, which makes the Grant Shapps candidate ban especially notable inside Westminster.
His blocked application comes after he lost his Welwyn Hatfield seat to Labour’s Andrew Lewin in 2024 by 3,799 votes. He had represented the constituency since 2005. The rejection now prevents him from standing again for the Conservatives at the next general election, despite his decades-long role in the party and government.
Badenoch addressed the issue at a news conference in central London, but refused to discuss any individual case. She said the party should not treat former MPs and candidates as gossip material for Westminster. She also said the Conservatives would be announcing candidates shortly and that the party would look very different from the one removed from government in 2024.
