Ben Wallace will leave the government in the next cabinet reshuffle after four years as defense secretary and will not stand in the general election.
Wallace, who has played a key role in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was a close ally of Boris Johnson, told the Sunday Times he “won’t stand next time” but ruled out walking out of parliament “prematurely” and force new partial elections. Rishi Sunakwhom he continues to support.
As news of his retirement emerged, Wallace tried to retract his comments last week that Ukraine he needed to show gratitude to his Western supporters in the war. “Like it or not, people want to see some appreciation,” Wallace told the NATO summit in Vilnius. “I told them last year, when I drove 11 hours to get a listing, that I’m not like Amazon.”
On Saturday night, Wallace tweeted a lengthy thread in Ukrainian. “My feedback on how best to support Ukraine caused a lot of interest and were somewhat misrepresented.
“For the record, as someone who has been at the forefront of mobilizing support for Ukraine, I have spoken about the challenges that may arise as we work toward the common goal of helping Ukraine get what it needs to defeat this invasion illegal. I said that Ukraine sometimes needs to realize that in many countries and in some parliaments there is not as strong support as in Great Britain.”
He said his comment was not a comment about governments, but “more about citizens and members of parliaments”.
“We are fortunate that the citizens of the United Kingdom and all parties in our parliament support our efforts to provide Ukraine with the means it needs,” he said.
“Our approval ratings for supporting Ukraine are among the highest europe – More than 70%. My comments were meant to reflect that it is important to remember not to talk to yourself, but to make an effort to reach out to other citizens who still need to be convinced.”
“The comments about Amazon were made last year to emphasize that Britain’s relationship with Ukraine is not ‘transactional’ but more ‘partnership’.
“Personally, I will continue to support Ukraine on its path for as long as it takes, but national parliaments often have competing needs and Ukraine and the UK must continue to foster this strong support, with facts and friendship.”
Wallace’s exit from parliament is unrelated to the current challenges in the Conservative party, according to multiple reports.
“I entered politics in the Scottish Parliament in 1999,” Wallace told the Sunday Times. “That’s 24 years. I’ve spent over seven years with three phones by my bedside.”
Wallace had expressed his interest in playing for the role of NATO secretary-general before it was announced, the current boss, Jens Stoltenberg, had another year in office.
The minister told the Economist that there were “many unresolved issues” in the military alliance and getting the job “wouldn’t happen”. He later downplayed the prospect of a future bid to lead the organization.
Last week, the prime minister shut down Wallace’s comments suggesting Ukraine should do so show “thank you” for the military support they had given him.
Wallace had made the comment after the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiyhe said it was “absurd” that NATO insisted there were still conditions for Ukraine to meet before joining after the war with Russia was over.
Zelenskiy later said: “I think we were always grateful to the UK. I don’t know what I meant and how else we should be grateful.”
Popular within the Tory party, Wallace is the longest-serving minister in government, having served as security secretary under Theresa May before being promoted to defense secretary by Johnson and continuing in the role under his two successors.
He was previously appointed whip in 2014 and a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office in 2015 while David Cameron was prime minister.
The MP for Wyre and Preston North ruled himself out of the Tory leadership bid last year, despite being an early contender in the race to replace Mr Johnson.