Ben Wallace resigns as defence secretary

Ben Wallace has resigned as defence secretary after four years in the role and nine years in total as a minister. Grant Shapps has been announced as his successor.

In his resignation letter to prime minister RIshi Sunak, Wallace said that the time he spent in the Army and as a politician has taken a personal toll on him and his family and it is now time for him to invest in the parts of life he has neglected and explore new opportunities.

Wallace pointed out key events during which he had been in position, including Wannacry, the 2017 terrorist attacks, the Salisbury Poisonings, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ukraine.

Wallace said: "The last four years has seen our Armed Forces and their leadership shine through. Whether it was the evacuation of Kabul, our Covid response, Ukraine or Sudan, the professionalism of our people has been first class.

"The investment you made in Defence as Chancellor and the continued support you have shown as Prime Minister has been key to enabling the Ministry of Defence to deliver for Britain. I am personally very grateful for your leadership.

"As I finish my tenure, I can reflect that the Ministry of Defence that I leave is now more modern, better funded and more confident than the organisation I took over in 2019. As well as being active around the world we have also invested in prosperity at home. I am proud that I have secured GCAP, AUKUS, NCF, National shipbuilding and the Defence and Security industrial strategies that will secure thousands of British jobs for our young people many years into the future."

In response, Sunak said: "You have served our country with distinction. Your strategic foresight and clarity has been invaluable to our country and the security of the continent. You saw before others did, what Vladimir Putin's try intentions in Ukraine were. Your determination to get Kiev weaponry before the Russians attacked had a material effect on the ability of the Ukrainians to thwart the invasion.

"I am proud of how this country has led in responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. You have played an absolutely vital role in rallying support for Ukraine at home and abroad. You have eloquently made the case that this is not simply an attack on a proud and sovereign nation, it is an attack on our values, European security and the open international order on which stability and prosperity have depended for three quarters of a century."

Shapps had served as energy minister since February. He was previously Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 25 October 2022, Secretary of State for the Home Department from 19 October 2022 to 25 October 2022, Secretary of State for Transport between 24 July 2019 and 6 September 2022, and Minister of State at the Department for International Development from 11 May 2015 until 28 November 2015. This is his fifth ministerial appointment in a year.

Image by Richard Townshend - https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/1539/Portrait?cropType=Thr... https://members.parliament.uk/member/1539/portrait, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86688751