Rishi Sunak appoints new defense minister after Ben Wallace said he had resigned

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Rishi Sunak is set to be appointed as the new defense minister after Ben Wallace announced that he would soon resign after four years in the position, and would not contest the general election expected next year.

He said he has decided to leave the government at Rishi Sunak’s next cabinet reshuffle, which is due to take place in the coming weeks, and he will resign from Westminster at the next election.

Wallace has served as Defense Secretary under three prime ministers and was once touted as a future leader of the Conservative Party due to his popularity among Tory activists.

Wallace’s potential successors as defense secretary include Treasury Secretary John Glenn and Security Secretary Tom Tugendhat, according to people familiar with the situation.

The post is an important ministerial assignment, due in part to the UK’s leading role in supporting Western efforts to aid Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s massive invasion of the country.

There had been growing expectations that Wallace could leave UK politics after he made clear his desire to become the next Secretary General of NATO, the military alliance – but it was thwarted after US President Joe Biden refused to support his candidacy.

Wallace told the Sunday Times he supported Sunak’s efforts to tame high inflation but suggested he would need to do more to win the next election, saying there would be “a moment when the prime minister distracts himself from reasonable stability about the economy and then uses that to explain to the public Vision 2024”. “.

Labor has a large lead in the polls over the Conservatives, and more than 40 Conservative MPs have announced they will stand down at the election.

Wallace said his decision to stand down as an MP was not related to the fact that his constituency of Werry and Preston North had been abolished in the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

A week ago, people close to Wallace told the Financial Times that he had no plans to leave politics, claiming that the speculation was “nonsense”.

The 53-year-old former Scots Guards captain was first elected MP in 2005, and prior to that he spent four years as an MP.

Wallace is a close ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. After Johnson left Downing Street last year, Wallace surprised some of his colleagues by excluding himself from the competition to succeed him.

Wallace is the most popular member of Sunak’s government with Conservative Party members, according to Conservativehome, a party-focused website.

Wallace said his proudest achievement as Defense Secretary was ending a long period of cuts to the Ministry of Defence, unlocking “real new money” and convincing Downing Street that defense was “of the essence”.

He warned that Britain could find itself in conflict by 2030, most likely with Russia. “Toward the end of the decade, the world will be more dangerous and more insecure,” he told the Sunday Times. “I think we will find ourselves in conflict. Whether the conflict is cold or warm, I think we will be in a difficult situation.”

Wallace downplayed the idea of ​​him taking a job in the defense industry, saying he could try something new.

He added, “I think sometimes I would just like to go and do things that I love, like Formula 1 or horse racing – just do something completely different.”

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