Boris Johnson's disappearing act in image shared by Grant Shapps promoting rocket launch

Boris Johnson had vanished from the image on the right which Grant Shapps shared on Twitter. Credit: Virgin Orbit/Grant Shapps Twitter

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has become embroiled in what appears to be a photoshop faux pas after he shared an image that Boris Johnson had seemingly vanished from.

Mr Shapps tweeted an image of himself on Sunday at Spaceport Cornwall ahead of the rocket launch mission, which failed after suffering an "anomaly" during the flight.

The business secretary spoke of the government's delight at backing the first-ever launch of a satellite from European soil, and shared an image of himself laughing while chatting with Spaceport workers.

The business secretary later deleted the tweet after it was pointed out that Boris Johnson was missing. Credit: Twitter/Grant Shapps

Virgin Orbit tweeted what appears to be an identical image in June 2022 - except for one difference, the former prime minister.

In the image shared by Virgin, Mr Johnson is stood next to a smiling Mr Shapps while chatting, leading many to question whether the former PM was digitally erased or photoshopped from the photo.

Mr Shapps later deleted his tweet after the apparent editing was spotted by social media users.

The business secretary addressed the PM's vanishing act in the Commons on Tuesday and said he'd served "enthusiastically" under Mr Johnson's premiership as transport secretary.

'I would never knowingly remove the former prime minister - who I served enthusiastically - from anything that I put out'

A source close to Mr Shapps told ITV News: "Grant wasn’t aware anyone had edited the picture. He removed it as soon as it was pointed out.

"Obviously he wouldn’t endorse anyone rewriting history by removing the former PM from a picture. He was proud to serve in Boris Johnson's Government".

An identical photo remains on the Number 10 Flickr account dated June 9, 2021, in wich Mr Johnson and Mr Shapps are stood side by side in Cornwall during a visit to LauncherOne.

It shows the then-Conservative leader, brow furrowed and arm raised, wearing a jacket emblazoned with the words: “Prime Minister.”

What happened when Virgin Orbit took off from UK in failed space mission
First ever UK space launch fails after rocket ‘anomaly’

A launch attempt on Tuesday morning ended in failure after suffering an “anomaly” during the flight.

After taking off from Cornwall, the Virgin Orbit plane flew to 35,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean where it jettisoned the rocket containing nine small satellites towards space.

Organisers of the Start Me Up mission said the rocket – with a variety of civil and defence applications – failed to orbit.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.