Sir Ben Wallace | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 24 July 2019 – 31 August 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Succeeded by | Grant Shapps |
| Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime | |
| In office 17 July 2016 – 24 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | John Hayes |
| Succeeded by | Brandon Lewis |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 12 May 2015 – 17 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Andrew Murrison |
| Succeeded by | Kris Hopkins |
| Member of Parliament forWyre and Preston North Lancaster and Wyre (2005–2010) | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Hilton Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forNorth East Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
| In office 6 May 1999 – 31 March 2003 | |
| Succeeded by | Nanette Milne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Ben Lobban Wallace (1970-05-15)15 May 1970 (age 55) Farnborough, Greater London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Lancashire, England London, England |
| Education | Millfield School |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Signature | _signature.svg) |
| Website | benwallace |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1991–1998 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Scots Guards |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles |
| Awards | Mentioned in dispatches |
Wallace opens apanel of defence ministers at the 2020Conservative Party Conference Recorded 5 October 2020 | |
Sir Robert Ben Lobban WallaceKCB (born 15 May 1970) is a British politician and formerBritish Army Officer who served asSecretary of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. A member of theConservative Party, he was theMember of Parliament (MP) forWyre and Preston North, formerlyLancaster and Wyre, from2005 to2024.
Before becoming involved in politics, Wallace was acaptain in theScots Guards. He was elected in 1999 as a Conservative listMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) forNorth East Scotland, serving until 2003.[1][2] He subsequently resigned from the Scottish Parliament, moved toLancashire and sought selection for a Westminster constituency in England.[3][4] First elected to the UK Parliament in 2005, Wallace served as abackbencher for nearly five years. From 2010 to 2014, he wasParliamentary Private Secretary to the thenSecretary of State for Justice,Ken Clarke. Wallace served as aparty whip from July 2014 to May 2015.
Following the 2015 general election and the formation of themajority Cameron government, he becameParliamentary Under-Secretary of State in theNorthern Ireland Office. In 2016, he was appointedMinister of State for Security and Economic Crime byTheresa May, holding the position until she left office in July 2019. A supporter ofBoris Johnson, Wallace was promoted to Secretary of State for Defence after Johnson became prime minister. He continued the role underLiz Truss andRishi Sunak, making him the longest-serving member of theCabinet to serve continuously in the same position until he left office.[5]
In July 2023, Wallace announced that he intended to resign as Secretary of State for Defence at thenext Cabinet reshuffle and that he would not be seeking re-election as an MP at the2024 general election.[6] In August 2023, Wallace formally resigned as Secretary of State for Defence.[7]
Wallace was born on 15 May 1970 inFarnborough, in theLondon Borough of Bromley.[8][9] His father served in the1st King's Dragoon Guards and was posted inMalaya, whilst his mother was an art teacher, and artist.[10]
Wallace was educated atMillfield, aprivate school in Somerset.[11] While at school, he attended a young officers' course for theRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards, and after leaving school was interviewed by theRegular Commissions Board.[10] He then spent some time as aski instructor at the Austrian National Ski School in the village ofAlpbach inAustria.[12]
After training as a cadet at theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst, in June 1991 Wallace was commissioned into theScots Guards as asecond lieutenant, with a short service commission.[13] From 1991 to 1998, he served inGermany,Cyprus,Belize, andNorthern Ireland.[2] In April 1993, he was promotedlieutenant,[14] and later that year wasmentioned in dispatches[15] for an incident inBelfast where the patrol he was commanding captured an entireIRAactive service unit (ASU) attempting to carry out a bomb attack against British troops.[2][16] ThePolice Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) later said that no one arrested as a result of the patrol was prosecuted.[17] In 1996, he was promotedcaptain.[18]
Wallace was on duty on thenight of the death ofDiana, Princess of Wales, and was a member of the party sent to Paris to bring home her body.[19]
In June 1998, Wallace transferred from the Active List to theRegular Army Reserve of Officers as a captain, thereby ending his active service and beginning a period of call-up liability.[20] He later explained that he had decided against seeking to become a regular officer and to continue after the age of thirty, as the part of the work he had enjoyed was commanding soldiers, and this was likely to diminish after that point.[10]
Wallace is a member of theRoyal Company of Archers, a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland. As such, he participated in the vigil over the Queen's coffin as shelay in state inWestminster Hall on 15 September 2022.[21]
Wallace entered politics after leaving the army, citing as a reason for this decision the experience he had commanding men from some of the UK's most economically deprived areas, which he averred could be improved by promoting a more aspirational society.[16] Wallace became aConservativeMember of the Scottish Parliament in1999, as a list MSP forNorth East Scotland.[3][4] He did not seek re-election at the2003 Scottish Parliament election, as he sought selection for a Westminster constituency in England.[3][4] Wallace was the Scottish Conservatives' shadow health spokesman during that time.[4]
From 2003 to 2005, he was overseas director of the aerospace companyQinetiQ, the UK's formerDefence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).[11]
Wallace was elected as Member of Parliament for theLancaster and Wyre constituency at the2005 general election. He gained the seat fromLabour with 22,266 votes and a majority of 4,171 (8.0%).[22] Wallace faced local criticism after it was revealed that in 2008 he had made the fourth-highest expenses claim of any MP, claiming £175,523 on top of his £63,000 salary. However, he defended this by arguing that his constituency had an electorate that was nearly 20% larger than the average one in England.[23]
His constituency was abolished for the2010 UK general election, and Wallace was instead returned for the new seat ofWyre and Preston North with 26,877 votes and a majority of 15,844 (30.9%).[24] He was re-elected at the2015,2017, and2019 UK general elections, with majorities suggesting he now held asafe seat for his party.[25] Wallace does not intend to remain in Parliament beyond the next general election, and his constituency will be abolished byboundary changes at the next general election.[6]
From 2005 to 2010, Wallace was a member of theScottish Affairs Select Committee of theHouse of Commons.[26] From 2006 to 2010, he was also the ShadowMinister of State for Scotland and was Chairman of the British–Iran Parliamentary Group from 2006 to 2014. He was awarded Campaigner of the Year in the annualSpectator/Threadneedle Parliamentarian Awards in 2008, for his work promoting transparency of MPs' expenses.[27][28]
Following his re-election to Parliament in 2010, Wallace was appointed asparliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the thenJustice Secretary andLord Chancellor, and laterminister without portfolio in theCabinet Office,Kenneth Clarke.[19] On 4 September 2012, Wallace turned down a position as a government whip during thecabinet reshuffle to remain Clarke's PPS.[29] He voted against theMarriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which legalisedsame-sex marriage in England and Wales.[30] In July 2014, as Clarke returned to the back benches, Wallace was again offered a job in Government as a whip. This time he accepted. Also in 2014, he became an early supporter of a future leadership bid byBoris Johnson, who was not then in parliament.[19]
In May 2015, Wallace was promoted toParliamentary Under-Secretary of State in theNorthern Ireland Office. Early in 2016, with the approach of theEuropean Union referendum, Boris Johnson was wavering between Leave and Remain, and Wallace advised him strongly to support Remain, as taking the Leave side would mean being allied with "clowns".[19] Wallace himself supported the Remain side before the referendum.[31]
After Leave had won the referendum, David Cameron resigned as party leader. The new Prime MinisterTheresa May promoted Wallace toMinister of State for Security in theHome Office. He voted for herBrexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019, and against anyreferendum on that agreement.[32] In December 2017, Wallace's ministerial portfolio was extended to include economic crime. He was Security Minister during the terror attacks of 2017 and theattempted assassination ofSergei Skripal inSalisbury. Wallace was appointed to thePrivy Council for his role in coordinating the government response to the2017 Westminster attack.[33]
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On 24 July 2019,Boris Johnson became prime minister and immediately appointed Wallace asSecretary of State for Defence, replacingPenny Mordaunt,[34] who was left out of thenew government.[35] In August 2019, Wallace was overheard discussing Johnson'scontroversial prorogation of parliament withFlorence Parly, theFrench Armed Forces minister. He suggested that the reason for the prorogation for five weeks was to prevent MPs from blocking the government'sBrexit plans, rather than the government's official position that it was to introduce a new legislative agenda.[36]10 Downing Street responded to his comments by admonishing him and stating that he had "misspoken".[37] This prorogation was deemed unlawful by theSupreme Court on 24 September 2019.[38]
On 13 October 2019, in a NATO meeting, Wallace defended the2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. He commented, "Turkey needs to do what it sometimes has to do to defend itself". His comments were condemned by other delegates at the meeting.[39][40] On 12 January 2020, in an interview withThe Sunday Times, Wallace said that the UK "must be prepared to fight wars without the US", one of the UK's key allies. He stated that the upcoming defence review "should be used to make the UK less dependent on the US in future conflicts". His comments were made in response to US PresidentDonald Trump's "America First" isolationist policies. Wallace also said that the next defence review would be the "deepest review" of Britain's defence and foreign policies since the end of theCold War in 1991.[41] On 15 March 2021, as part of theIntegrated Review, Wallace released acommand paper titledDefence in a Competitive Age, in which he detailed "a mission to seek out and to understand future threats, and to invest in the capabilities to defeat them," promising an expenditure of £188 billion on defence over the next four years.[42]
In July 2021, Wallace said that the United States had left Britain in a "very difficult position" following thewithdrawal of most US troops from Afghanistan.[43] Soon after the withdrawal of US troops had started, theTaliban had launched anoffensive against the Afghan government, quickly advancing in front of a collapsingAfghan Armed Forces.[44] Wallace said the UK would be ready to work with the Taliban should they come to power provided they adhere to certain international norms.[45] On 16 August 2021, during a radio interview onLBC about the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Wallace was asked by an LBC interviewer, "why do you feel it so personally, Mr Wallace?" He replied with emotion: "because I'm a soldier ... because it's sad, and the West has done what it's done and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations".[46]
Wallace was the minister responsible for the British evacuation from Kabul,Operation Pitting. He was involved in a controversial decision to allowPen Farthing – who ran an animal sanctuary in Kabul – to evacuate 71 people and more than 100 animals from Kabul to the UK.[47][48] Wallace said Ministry of Defence staff had suffered abuse from some of Farthing's supporters, who alleged the government had initially abandoned Farthing.[49] In December 2021, Wallace met withSaudi Arabia'sCrown PrinceMohammed bin Salman to discuss cooperation in various fields, especially defence, having discussed similar matters the previous year with Saudi Arabia's vice defence minister PrinceKhalid bin Salman.[50][51] In 2022, at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of theFalklands War, Wallace declared Britain's determination to "stand up to bullies".[52] His words were decried as "belligerent threats" and "denigrating references" byArgentina.[53]
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Wallace metSergei Shoigu, the RussianMinister of Defence in Moscow on 11 February 2022.[54] Shoigu reiterated a denial of any Russian intentions to invade Ukraine.[6] The following day, Wallace said that aRussian invasion of Ukraine was "highly likely", and British citizens were being told by theForeign Office to evacuate while commercial means were still available.[55] Ukraine'sambassador to the UK,Vadym Prystaiko, said Wallace's comparison of diplomatic efforts with Russia to theappeasement policies of the 1930s was unhelpful,[56] saying now is the wrong time to "offend our partners".[57] On 23 February 2022, Wallace was filmed saying that theScots Guards "kicked the backside" ofNicholas I of Russia during theCrimean War, and could do so again. Russia invaded Ukraine the following day.[58]
On 21 March 2022, clipped footage of Wallace in aprank call by Russian prankstersVovan and Lexus was released online. The duo (suspected by the British government to have links to Russian security services or of being Russianstate actors)[59][60] impersonated theUkrainian prime ministerDenys Shmyhal saying that Ukraine wished to promote its ownnuclear deterrent to protect itself from Russia, a false claim made by the Russian government during theRusso-Ukrainian War and the invasion of Ukraine.[59][60] Wallace was believed to be on aMicrosoft Teams call with the duo for ten minutes.[61] That day, Wallace announced plans to reduce the number of British Army personnel from 76,500 to 72,500.[62]
Wallace was perceived as responsible for initial British reluctance to sendChallenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in March 2022, saying that the idea "wouldn't work".[63][64] Boris Johnson and his German counterpartOlaf Scholz agreed on 8 April that both European allies would withhold their Western-designedmain battle tanks from the fray. Johnson instead chose to backfill thePolish Army, thus allowing them to send their obsoleteT-72s to Ukraine,[63] while they waited for their order ofSouth KoreanK2 Black Panther replacements.[65][66] Despite a planned reduction of the British tank fleet from 227 Challenger 2 tanks to 148 upgradedChallenger 3 tanks, there were no plans to send British tanks to the Ukrainians.[67] Wallace later announced that the number of Challenger 3 tanks required by the UK was under review.[5][8] In January 2023, the British position was reversed, and Challenger 2 tanks were supplied to Ukraine in March 2023.[68][69]
Boris Johnson announced his intention to resign as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party in July 2022 followinga series of mass resignations from his government. Wallace was seen as a contender to succeed him as party leader and thus prime minister, but on 10 July he ruled himself out from enteringthe contest. In a statement on Twitter, he said his focus was on his current job and "keeping this great country safe".[70] He later endorsedLiz Truss in the election.[71] Following the appointment of Truss as prime minister, Wallace was reappointed to his post on 6 September 2022.[72] He retained his post whenRishi Sunak became prime minister on 25 October. On 7 November 2022, Wallace announced that the competition to build a new national flagship yacht would be scrapped with immediate effect.[73]
On 19 January 2023, Wallace together with the defence ministers of Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania; and the representatives of Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Slovakia issued the Tallinn Pledge, "to reaffirm our continued determination and resolve to supporting Ukraine in their heroic resistance against the illegal and unprovoked Russian aggression."[74][75][76][77][78]
On 21 June 2023, Wallace ruled himself out of the running to become the nextNATO Secretary-General after rumours spread that the US were in favour ofJens Stoltenberg staying in post.[79]
Speaking at aNATO summit in Lithuania on 11 July, Wallace said that Ukraine should offer more gratitude to Western allies of the country, following the Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy's frustration at not being given a formal invitation to join the NATO alliance. Wallace also said that American and British lawmakers felt that Ukraine was demanding anAmazon-style wishlist of demands in military aid.[80][81][82]
On 15 July 2023, Wallace announced his intention to resign as Secretary of State for Defence at the next Cabinet reshuffle and confirmed that he would not be seeking re-election as an MP at the2024 general election.[6] By length of tenure, he was the longest-serving Conservative Secretary of State for Defence on record. Wallace was also the longest-serving participant in the current UK Cabinet by continuous service; attending without interruption since his 2016 appointment as Minister of State for Security.[83] On 31 August 2023, Wallace formally resigned as Secretary of State for Defence.[7]
In 2024, Wallace was voluble on defence-related matters. In April 2024, after the 300-unit drone strike by Iran on Israel Wallace said the event "had dashed his own hopes that reformers would one day triumph over the hardliners."[84] He wrote anop-ed inThe Daily Telegraph and advised the West to "hit back twice as hard" against Iran and Russia and "not stop until they get the message". The pair "thrive on the West’s lack of resolve, revel in sowing division, and delight in weakening." He also called on Israel to supply Ukraine with weapons in light of the Russian investment in the Iranian drone and missile programme.[85][86] In February 2024, Wallace expressed his displeasure over German ChancellorOlaf Scholz' refusal to give Ukraine theTaurus missile.[87]
Contemporaneous to the75th NATO Summit in July 2024, Wallace opined that Europe can and should do more to help Ukraine. "The good news story on Ukraine is that Europe has already contributed collectively more to Ukraine than the United States. So it is not entirely impossible that if America froze out Ukraine, that Europe couldn’t stand up and contribute more assistance to Ukraine."[88] In August 2024, Wallace was interviewed byTimes Radio and said Ukraine "should be given the tools to finish the job" against Russia. He echoed past UKCGS SirPatrick Sanders' exit remarks about Western nervousness over Russian nuclearsabre-rattling rhetoric.[89] In September 2024, Wallace, speaking to BBC Radio 4'sToday programme, said that the "tug of war" over long-range missiles that can strike targets in Russia, such asStorm Shadow, was repetitive nonsense and only helped Putin.[90]
In 2024, Wallace became a partner in Boka Group, an American-Britishprivate equity firm focused on investing in defence and aerospace companies.[91][92] Also in 2024, he joined the firm CTRD as a senior adviser, focusing on advising Saudi Arabia on reform, governance, and security.[93] In April 2025, it was announced that Wallace joined the board of Advanced Innergy Holdings, a UK materials technology company, as a non-executive director.[94]
Wallace married Liza Cooke in 2001. They met when she was a researcher in theScottish Parliament and Wallace was anMSP.[95] His wife worked as a part-time parliamentary assistant in his office until 30 April 2019.[96] They have since separated.[97] He has described the burden of his job on his private life as one of the regrets of his political career.[6] The couple have two sons and a daughter.[9] His children were divided on whether Wallace should have made a pitch for the Conservative leadership in 2022.[6]
Wallace divides his time betweenLancashire and London.[98][99] Outside politics, he lists his recreations as skiing, sailing, rugby and horse racing.[100] He is a member of the Third Guards club.[9]
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (KCB) | 2024 Dissolution Honours, for political and public service[101][102] |
 | General Service Medal | Northern Ireland Clasp; Mentioned in Despatches |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | |
 | Cross of Merit of the Ministry of Defence (Class I) | Estonia[103] |
 | Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (Class II) | Ukraine[104] |
 | USSOCOM medal | United States |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLancaster and Wyre 2005–2010 | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency established | Member of Parliament forWyre and Preston North 2010–2024 | Constituency abolished |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime 2016–2019 | Succeeded byas Minister of State for Security and Deputy for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Defence 2019–2023 | Succeeded by |
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