ALBAWABA - In a letter to UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday, Ben Wallace announced his resignation as defense minister. Wallace held the role since 2019, overseeing the withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan.
Ben Wallace, who held the role for four years, resigned on Thursday after announcing last month he would leave his post at the next cabinet reshuffle. Names mentioned by senior Conservatives as potential replacements include Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen.
Wallace said in the letter: "The Ministry of Defense that I leave is now more modern, better funded, and more confident than the organization I took over in 2019. I genuinely believe that over the next decade, the world will get more insecure".
Wallace, who first entered Parliament as an MP in 2005, said he had "taken the decision to ask that I be allowed to step down" because it was time to "invest in the parts of my life that I have neglected and to explore new opportunities".
He went on to say that the Ministry of Defense was "back on the path to being once again world-class with world-class people" as he urged the United Kingdom to invest more in its military forces.
Sunak praised Wallace for his work, saying in a letter in response: "You have served our country in three of the most demanding posts in government: defense secretary, security minister, and Northern Ireland minister".
