Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says he'll step down at next reshuffle

15 July 2023 , 21:20

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Ben Wallace has announced he plans to step down at the next election

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace plans to step down at the next reshuffle, he has confirmed. And the top Tory will not stand at the next election, after 18 years as an MP.

Mr Wallace, who was once tipped as a future Prime Minister, told the Sunday Times he had hoped to announce his impending departure over the summer, to avoid adding to the feeling of ‘decline’ surrounding Rishi Sunak ’s administration.

But his hand was forced after it was briefed to newspapers that he was considering his exit. He insisted his future may not see him return to politics, or taking up a role at a defence company.

Mr Wallace said he'd be quite happy to go and work at a bar (Getty Images)

“I’m quite happy to go and work at a bar,” he said. “I feel quite fulfilled, and that gives me lots of options. I sometimes think I’d just like to go and do things I love, like Formula One or horse racing — just do something completely different.”

He also revealed that just before the Russian invasion, he and Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov had to speak in code until a secure link could be established. When discussing weapons systems Britain was supplying to Ukraine, Mr Wallace instead referred to brands of whisky.

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“So the Nlaw [anti-tank missile] was Glenfiddich and Harpoon anti-ship missiles were Islay,” he said. “I would text him saying ‘I’ve got some whisky for you’ or ‘the whisky is on its way’. We just picked codewords, minister to minister.”

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Mikey Smith