Wallace rules out bid to ‘focus on UK’s safety’
Defence Secretary and early favourite said pulling out of leadership race had ‘not been an easy choice’
BEN WALLACE, the Defence Secretary and one of the bookmakers’ early favourites to succeed Boris Johnson, has ruled himself out of the Conservative leadership race.
Mr Wallace has impressed his party in the past six months by overseeing Britain’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But after days of speculation – in which MPs went public with declarations of support for him – he confirmed he would not seek to become the next prime minister.
“After careful consideration, and discussing with colleagues and family, I have taken the decision not to enter the contest for leadership of the Conservative Party,” Mr Wallace wrote on Twitter. “I am very grateful to all my parliamentary colleagues and wider members who have pledged support.
“It has not been an easy choice to make, but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe.
“I wish the very best of luck to all candidates and hope we swiftly return to focusing on the issues that we are all elected to address.”
The Sunday Telegraph understands that while there was canvassing on his behalf so that a campaign would be ready if he decided to stand, he did not feel it was the right decision for him or his family, after two days of discussions.
The 52-year-old is also understood to have acted in a way he felt was best for Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin’s invasion shows no sign of letting up.
Despite the decision, sources close to Mr Wallace suggested he would easily have had the numbers for a full-scale campaign had he chosen to stand, with special advisers, staffers and former Conservative Party personnel rallying around him as well as approaches from grassroots activists and local party figures.
Mr Wallace’s announcement will disappoint the party faithful. Last week, a poll by the Conservative Home website saw him top the rankings when members were asked who the next leader should be.
He has a net satisfaction rating of 85.6 per cent among members, 30 per cent higher than the next most popular Cabinet minister, polling for the same website showed on Monday.
The ever-expanding field of leadership candidates will now be looking for his endorsement because of the significant boost that he could bring to their campaign.
A source close to Mr Wallace said: “The Defence Secretary, like all MPs, will look with interest [at] what all candidates have to offer.”
Mr Wallace was being given odds as low as 11/4 with some bookmakers despite uncertainty over whether he would stand.
At one point he was labelled the joint favourite with Penny Mordaunt, the current international trade minister and a Royal Navy reservist.
Having taken on the role in July 2019, he has been Defence Secretary for the entirety of Mr Johnson’s premiership and was previously a captain in the Scots Guards before entering politics.
Amid the resignations of dozens of ministers, he refused to step aside and said he had “an obligation to keep this country safe, no matter who is PM”.
He added that the public “would not forgive us if we left these Offices of State empty” after the resignations of Mr Johnson’s chancellor, health secretary and education secretary.
Two Conservative MPs publicly backed Mr Wallace to become the next prime minister – Graham Stuart, a new foreign minister, and David Mundell, a former Scottish Secretary and one of just six Scottish Tory MPs.
Mr Mundell, who served alongside Mr Wallace in the Scottish Parliament, said his “decency and integrity is not in question” and touted him as someone who could “bring in a period of calm, competent leadership”, following months of scandal at the heart of Downing Street.
Meanwhile, Mr Stuart praised his “competence, integrity and traditional conservative values”, adding: “He has a history of serving the nation and concentrating on the job in hand.”
James Heappey, the Armed Forces minister, was understood to be managing the campaign and said it was “typically Ben” that he had spent days wondering if it was the right decision.
Some senior Conservative MPs had privately questioned whether his interest in defence and security could prove damaging in a closely fought contest, as relatively little is known about his broader economic or social views.