Ben Wallace steps down as secretary of defense

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that he will step down from government after the next cabinet reshuffle and not fight on next election.

Mr Wallace said he «won't run next» but ruled out «early» exit from Parliament and is forcing Rishi Sunak to deal with new by-elections.

< p> «I entered politics in the Scottish Parliament in 1999,» he told The Sunday Times. «That's 24 years.»

Mr. Wallace has been Secretary of Defense since July 2019, and has been Secretary of Security and Economic Crime since 2016.

Citing the pressure and security responsibilities associated with his ministerial duties since 2016, he said he «spent over seven years with three phones by my bed.»

In an interview, Mr Wallace said, that he informed the Prime Minister of his intention to resign on June 16 and planned to make an announcement in the summer.

However, he said he was forced to publicly confirm his plans immediately after someone in the government reported that he considers leaving.

In Mr. Sunak's apparent warning about defense spending, he indicated that the prime minister had pledged to spend 2.5% of GDP on defense, «though no date.»

He said he was very concerned about the threats security emanating from Russia and an expansionist China, as well as a potential “reemergence of ISIS or al-Qaeda in Africa.”

“By the end of the decade, the world will become much more dangerous, even more insecure,” he said. “I think we will be in conflict. Whether it's a cold conflict or a warm one, I think we'll be in a difficult position.»

«Deeply vulnerable»

On China, he said tensions over the future of Taiwan have left the UK «deeply vulnerable». «, adding, «Taiwan makes 90% of the world's most powerful chips in literally one factory.» other countries would be considered as their economic zones,” he said.

“You see the dispute between China and Vietnam over fishing grounds, the dispute between China and the Philippines over fisheries. The Chinese are coming with these huge fleets.”

On Russia, he warned that “if Putin loses in Ukraine, he will be deeply hurt.”

“He still has a military -air force, and he still has a navy — and we see his navy doing some pretty aggressive maneuvers. Putin is not done with us yet. He has the opportunity to pounce on him in the next three to four years.”

Mr Wallace said he was proud of talks of a “£24bn budget increase” for the Department of Defense. along with «defense reform and investment in military modernization.»

«I took charge of a department that had suffered cuts for 30 years and recognized that the entire government is in charge of health care and education, and defense is just discretionary spending.» , — he said. “I hope that over the past four years I have managed to get really new money and win the argument that defense is the main thing.”