Ben Wallacethe taciturn secretary of defense and key man for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in the war in Ukraine, has presented his dimission claiming personal reasons.
Wallace, 53, who came to sound like a candidate for Conservative leader and to appear as a favorite to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of the I’LL TAKEanticipated his resignation last June, acknowledging “the high bill” that his position has had in his family life (He separated in 2019 from his wife and mother of his three children, Liza Cooke).
His departure has precipitated a government mini-crisisresolved on the fly by Rishi Sunak with the appointment as Secretary of Defense of Grant Shappsanother survivor of the Johnson era, who served as Secretary of Transportation and Business and was also president of the Conservative Government.
At the time of collecting the baton, Grant Shapps reiterated his intention to “continue with the support for Ukraine before the brutal invasion of Russia”. His words were supported by the “premier” Rishi Sunak, who appreciated the services rendered by Wallace, extolled in his farewell as “a solid rock in British politics” by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Ben Wallace, former soldier and former captain of the scots guard, was the highest valued member of successive cabinets for his role during the Ukrainian war. During his tenure in office, and despite the replacement of three successive prime ministers (Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak), the United Kingdom led the allies in providing military assistance to President Zelenski, including sending the first tanks and the training of Ukrainian troops on British soil.