Next September
British defense secretary wants to vacate posts
07/15/2023 10:49 p.m
As Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallce experienced a total of three conservative prime ministers: now he intends to step down from office in the foreseeable future. The 53-year-old announces that he will no longer run for parliament. However, he is concerned about the future: Putin is not finished with Europe, he says.
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. Wallace had ambitions to become 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.
“Putin is not done with us yet”
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 also said in the interview that his biggest concern is the threat of a military conflict with Russia, whether accidental or intentional. “If Putin loses in Ukraine, he will suffer a deep wound,” said the minister. Putin still has an air force and a navy and you can see that the navy is conducting very aggressive maneuvers. “Putin is not done with us yet. He has the opportunity to strike in the next three or four years.” Wallace warned Britain could be drawn into more conflicts. By the end of the decade, the world will be much more uncertain.
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 announced his plans to Sunak a month ago, 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.