Grant Shapps 'edited out' Boris Johnson from his Virgin Orbit photo – but it didn’t go unnoticed

Embarrassing government minister Grant Shapps is making himself look silly again, after political pettiness seemingly got the best of him and he has thus been accused of bungling an edit of a photo of him and former boss, Boris Johnson.

Not content with presenting cringeworthy promotional videos for his departments, the business secretary has now been accused of removing the ex-prime minister from a snap with the Virgin Orbit aircraft taken back in June 2022, and posted again on Sunday ahead of its launch from Cornwall yesterday.

In the now-deleted tweet, Mr Shapps wrote: “The UK Govt is delighted to be backing the FIRST ever satellite launch on European soil. Lift-off scheduled on Monday at Spaceport Cornwall, Newquay.”

However, BBC journalist Sam Francis was one individual who spotted that there were actually four people in the original image – rather than the three in the former transport secretary’s version.

In response to BBC political correspondent Ione Wells pointing it out, one Twitter user quipped: “For what it’s worth, I’m greatly in favour of erasing Boris Johnson from political history.”

“Them’s the tweaks,” joked another, referencing and misquoting a line uttered by Mr Johnson in his resignation speech last year.

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Hilariously, The Scotsman’s Westminster correspondent Alexander Brown decided to set the record straight by sharing the “original” photo – one with a rather chaotic pink character with bright yellow spots added…

Even seasoned and beloved political candidate Count Binface chipped in, declaring it was simply “Grant Shapps being Grant Shapps”.

Oh, and one tweet suggested Mr Johnson had actually been snapped into dust by Infinity War big bad Thanos, which was Marvel-lous (sorry).

According to the BBC, a source close to Mr Shapps said: “Grant wasn’t even aware anyone had edited the picture. He removed it as soon as it was pointed out.

“Obviously he wouldn’t endorse rewriting history by removing the former PM from a picture.”

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