‘The army uses it!’ Grant Shapps defends TikTok use amid China security concerns

‘The army uses it!’ Grant Shapps defends TikTok use amid China security concerns
Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 06/09/2023

- 15:14

Updated: 06/09/2023

- 15:25

Grant Shapps has defended his continued use of social media app TikTok, after facing widespread criticism for replacing Ben Wallace as the new Defence Secretary.

Appearing on GB News Breakfast, Shapps was grilled by host Isabel Webster on his use of the app, asking: “A few people raise their eyebrows at you being appointed Defence Secretary, not least for your ponchon for TikTok with all the security concerns around that. Are you going to give it up, finally?”

Shapps responded: “No, I don’t have it on my phone. By the way the Ministry of Defence uses TikTok, as does the army, so you can’t help but be where people are actually viewing things.

“But I don’t personally have it on my phone, and look you’re right, I have been in a number of Government positions, I’m an experienced Cabinet Minister. I run complex, difficult departments with large infrastructure budgets, and we live in a country where civilians run the country, rather than the military for example.”

He continued: “I noticed only two of the last fifteen Defence Secretaries had any military background at all, so it’s perfectly normal not to have military backgrounds.”

Watch the interview with Grant Shapps in full above.

Tune in to Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel, Monday to Thursday from 6am, only on GB News.

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