UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that he will step down in the next reshuffle of the British Conservative government. In reports Sunday hoursReproduced this Saturday, Wallace explained that he wanted to devote himself to his family, a decision that he confirmed was not at odds with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“It has been 24 years since I entered politics in the Scottish Parliament in 1999. I spent a good seven years with three phones in bed.”
“I am proud to work with so many great people and contribute to the defense of this great country, and the cost of putting this before my family makes me very sad,” he opined.
Downing Street sources have told the BBC the next government reshuffle is due in September.
Wallace, 53, has also made it clear he will not be a Conservative candidate for the next general election in 2024. The constituency he represents (Weir and Preston North) will be suppressed in the next vote for the council. Commons, within the scope of the most recent reshuffle of the electoral map.
Close to Boris Johnson – who was one of the strategists of the internal campaign that culminated in the former prime minister’s leadership of the government in 2019 – Wallace remained loyal to Sunak and refused to publicly defend the publicized story. Associates of the former leader Tori He was unfairly removed from office or he was the target of a “witch hunt” in Parliament.
Some of those Johnson supporters recently resigned, triggering a by-election that polls suggest could cause Sunak and the party a major electoral embarrassment. But Wallace promised times It will not come before time.
When Johnson tendered his resignation in July last year, he was tipped as a strong candidate for the ministerial leadership after losing support from large parts of his executive over his handling of party corruption during the pandemic. of The Tories and the government. But he was one of the first to announce that he would not be running for office.
Four years ago, as Defense Secretary, Johnson worked for Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Prior to that, he was Secretary of State for Defense and Economic Crime under Theresa May and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under David Cameron. He has been a member of the House of Commons since 2005 and a member of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2003.
Wallace has made no secret of his interest in running for secretary-general in recent months, considering a key role in the British (and Western) campaign of financial and military support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion. NATO
A lack of support from France – which advocates for Jens Stoltenberg’s successor to remain a member of the EU – and enthusiasm from the United States dashed that dream, with the Atlantic alliance opting out at least until October 2024. Regarding the extension of Norway’s mandate.
Ben Wallace’s departure from political life in 2024 is another departure from a prominent conservative figure in recent years. Former health and finance minister Sajid Javid announced late last year that he would not run for deputy chancellor and would retire from public life.
Many British political analysts believe Labor’s lead of 20 percentage points or more in national polls and the Conservatives’ 13 years in power may be motivating many sitting MPs. The Tories Fearing that they will lose their seats in the elections, they want to drop fresh nominations.
