U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace plans to leave the government at the next Cabinet reshuffle and will not stand in the next general election, he told the Sunday Times newspaper. Wallace informed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of his plans on June 16 but had hoped to make the announcement later in the summer, the newspaper reported late Saturday. “I’m not standing next time,” Wallace was quoted as saying. That’s 24 years,” Wallace, who has been defense chief since July 2019, told the paper. “There’s a slight word of caution here which is, whether you like it or not people want to see gratitude,” Wallace told reporters at a NATO summit in Lithuania on July 12.

Source: The Times July 15, 2023 18:34 UTC