Ben Wallace, the UK's defense minister, confirmed his resignation on Thursday in a letter to Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the government. In his letter, Wallace offered his support to the current government and warned it not to stop investing in Britain's defence. According to local sources, Sunak announced that Grant Shapps, the former UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Strategy will replace Wallace.
Wallace submitted his resignation a month and a half after his controversial statements at the last NATO summit, where he stated that the United Kingdom was "not an Amazon" of weapons for Ukraine and urged the Kiev government to be wise and "show gratitude" to those who support him. Following the controversy, the politician announced last month his plans to resign after four years in office.
In addition, Wallace confirmed that he will also resign from his position as a legislator in the upcoming national elections to seek new job opportunities. However, the resignation of the defense minister disappointed some members of the Conservative Party.
Wallace, a former British army captain, was appointed defense minister in 2019 by his friend and ally, former prime minister Boris Johnson, after holding lower ministerial posts in previous governments. Wallace and Johnson led the British response to Russia's invasion of the Ukraine last year. Both politicians worked with other nations to supply Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with weapons.
In his official resignation letter, Wallace warned the government not to cut back on the country's defense, as "the world is becoming more insecure and unstable by the day." "I know you agree with me that we should not go back to the days when defense was seen as a discretionary spending by the government," he said.
During his time as defense minister, Wallace made a point of increasing spending on the military. According to British sources, the politician hoped to be the successor to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
After submitting his letter of resignation, Wallace posted on X, formerly known as Twitter that "That's all folks. It's been a privilege to serve this great nation." In response, Sunak praised Wallace for his work and responded in a letter: "You have served our country in three of the most demanding positions in government: Secretary for Defence, Minister for Security and Minister for Northern Ireland. ". I fully understand his desire to step down after eight years of demanding ministerial duties." According to his statement, Wallace plans to "explore new opportunities" by stepping down from his UK government post.
