British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace resigns

According to the Sunday Times, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace plans to resign in the foreseeable future. The newspaper reported on Saturday evening that he had decided to leave the cabinet at the next cabinet reshuffle. So the next government reshuffle could be in September. Moreover, he is no longer a candidate in the next parliamentary elections, which will take place in 2024.

“I’m not going to run next time,” the paper quoted him as saying. However, according to the report, Wallace ruled out resigning early as an MP and triggering a by-election in his constituency. Wallace has been defense minister since 2019 and has already seen three prime ministers from his Conservative party in office.

“I entered politics in 1999 in the Scottish Parliament. That’s 24 years. I spent more than seven years with three phones by my bed,” Wallace told the paper. When asked what the phones were for, the 53-year-old replied, according to the report, “Secret, secret and secret.”

Served under three Prime Ministers

Wallace had ambitions for the position of Secretary General of NATO. However, the hopes of becoming Jens Stoltenberg’s successor were not fulfilled. “It’s not going to happen,” The Economist quoted him in June. As British Defense Secretary, Wallace helps coordinate how Ukraine will be helped to defend itself against Russia.

Last week he warned the Ukrainian government to be cautious about 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 said in media reports.

Wallace took over as defense secretary four years ago, then under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He then held the office of minister in both the government of his conservative party colleague Liz Truss and in the current cabinet of Rishi Sunak. Meanwhile, 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 informed Sunak of his plans on June 16. Conservative Prime Minister Sunak is preparing to reshuffle his top team ahead of the next election, according to the Times. His party is currently far behind the PvdA in polls. (sda/dpa)