Ben Wallace, Britain's defense minister, has announced that he will not seek reelection.
Wallace has served as defense minister since 2019. He's been a member of Parliament from Wyre and Preston North.
Prior to his time as defense minister and a member of Parliament, Wallace served a previous constituency in northwest England beginning in 2005.
He's Done
Wallace announced in a statement he has also chosen not to stand as for election as an MP in the next cycle.
"The defense minister replaced Penny Mordant four years ago under the prime ministry of Boris Johnson," reported the Washington Examiner. "Wallace had always alluded to stepping down from the position once Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled the Cabinet, which is expected to happen this September."
Wallace was considered a front-runner to replace then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, who resigned in October.
However, at the time, Wallace said he would not run for the position due to family reasons.
"As an army veteran, Wallace also supported Finland's admission to NATO, claiming that it 'made us safer' to have more European countries in the alliance. Wallace was also a proponent of assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russia by providing Storm Shadow cruise missiles in an amount that was 'enough to satisfy the Ukrainian demand for that capability,'" reported the Examiner.
"I will personally continue to support Ukraine all the way, for as long as it takes, but national Parliaments often have competing needs, and Ukraine and the UK need to continue to encourage that strong support by the use of facts and friendship," Wallace wrote.
A general election in Britain will be held sometime in the next 18 months.
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