London:
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who announced last month that he would step down at the next cabinet reshuffle, has resigned, the prime minister’s office said on Thursday.
In a letter to Wallace, 53, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised the “dedication and skill” he brought to his role in spearheading Western allies’ support for Ukraine against Russia.
“You have served our country with distinction,” Sunak wrote, adding that he had seen “before others did what Vladimir Putin’s true intentions were in Ukraine.”
“Your determination to obtain weapons in Kiev before the Russians attacked had a material effect on the Ukrainians’ ability to thwart the invasion.”
Wallace, a former army officer, had been chosen by Britain to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of NATO.
But he failed to secure crucial American support to replace him, and Stoltenberg has now extended his tenure at the head of the alliance.
After announcing his intention to step down in July, he said the decision was not because he thought the ruling Conservatives – currently behind the main opposition Labor party in the polls – would lose the next election, but because his constituency in the northwest of England was under pressure. scrapped under border changes.
Wallace has been in the British Parliament for 18 years and is the longest-serving Conservative defense minister since Winston Churchill.
He was the only senior minister to remain in the turbulent transition from his political ally Boris Johnson to the short-lived Liz Truss and then Sunak.
He served as Security Secretary under Theresa May before becoming Defense Secretary in 2019.
He enjoyed strong support among Tory base members and was regularly tipped as party leader, but never actively ran for the top position.
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