According to the Sunday Times newspaper, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace intends to resign in the foreseeable future. The newspaper reported in the evening that he had decided to leave the cabinet at the next cabinet reshuffle.
The next government reshuffle could therefore be in September. In addition, he will no longer stand in the next parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place in 2024.
“I’m not going to run next time,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. According to the report, however, Wallace ruled out stepping down as an MP early and thus triggering a by-election in his constituency. Wallace has been British Defense Secretary since 2019 and has already seen three prime ministers from his Conservative party in the post.
“I entered politics in the Scottish Parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years. I’ve spent more than seven years with three phones by my bed,” Wallace told the newspaper. When asked what the phones were for, the 53-year-old replied, “Secret, secret and secret,” according to the report.
Ambitions for the post of NATO Secretary General
Wallace had ambitions for the post of NATO Secretary General. However, the hope of becoming Jens Stoltenberg’s successor was not fulfilled. “It’s not going to happen,” he was quoted as saying by The Economist in June. As Britain’s defense secretary, Wallace is helping to coordinate how Ukraine will be helped to defend itself against Russia.
Last week he warned the Ukrainian government to exercise restraint in criticizing Western arms supplies. During a visit to Kiev, Ukraine presented him with a wish list of weapons. “I told the Ukrainians last year when I drove 11 hours to get a list: I’m not Amazon,” Wallace was quoted as saying in media reports.
Wallace took over the post of defense secretary four years ago, then under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He subsequently retained the post of minister both in the government of his Conservative party colleague Liz Truss and in the current cabinet of Rishi Sunak. In the meantime, Wallace had also been traded as a candidate for the top post, but declined.
There had been speculation about his future before. According to the Sunday Times report, Wallace had already announced his plans to Sunak on June 16. According to the Times, Conservative Prime Minister Sunak is preparing to reshuffle his top team ahead of the next election. His party is currently well behind the Labor Party in polls.
