Who will replace Ben Wallace as defence secretary?

Ben Wallace’s decision to step down as defence secretary means the search is now on to fill what has become one of the most high-profile jobs in government since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wallace, a “relatively young” 53, has “the rare trait among Conservatives at the moment of being pretty popular, particularly among the party faithful”, said Politico. He has also consistently topped ConservativeHome’s influential cabinet league table.

Passed over for the Nato secretary general job in the summer, Wallace will soon be out of the cabinet and politics altogether, having decided not to stand in the next general election. But the jostling to replace him as defence secretary has already started, said Politico, “with prominent Tories well aware that helming the Ministry of Defence during war-time can do wonders for your reputation”.

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What did the papers say?

As the race to replace Wallace hots up, The Telegraph reported that “some Conservative MPs have rallied around Tom Tugendhat, the security minister and former foreign affairs committee chairman”. Others would prefer to see Rishi Sunak promote Penny Mordaunt, who held the post for less than three months in 2019.

Allies told the paper that Tugendhat would be the “natural successor” to Wallace, having previously won praise while heading the foreign affairs select committee of MPs. Before running for Parliament Tugendhat served in the Territorial Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and as a military assistant to the chief of the defence staff. He has been outspoken in his approach to dealing with Iran, China and Russia – a stance that was vindicated following last year’s invasion of Ukraine by Moscow forces.

Mordaunt, the current leader of the House of Commons, has already held the defence secretary brief under Theresa May. A former member of the Royal Naval Reserve, she worked as armed forces minister under David Cameron and would be a popular choice among Conservative Party members. However, she “is regarded with suspicion in Downing Street following her run for the leadership and is unlikely to be given such a high-profile role”, said The Times.

Other names being touted include Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who previously worked on defence procurement under Boris Johnson. Like Tugendhat she has been a passionate advocate for veterans, specifically around mental health. Also said to be in the running is former justice secretary Brandon Lewis, while the Telegraph reported that Wallace “is thought to prefer” James Heappey, the armed forces minister.

To complicate the picture, both The Times and Daily Mail have reported that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is “being tipped to take over”.

The defence job “is one of the most important for Sunak to fill, given the war in Ukraine,” said The Times, “and Cleverly has experience because of his present job”.

He has been heavily involved in the UK’s response to the war since taking over at the Foreign Office last September and has spent many years as an army reservist, being promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2015.

Alternatively, “it has been suggested Rishi Sunak could swerve the bigger names in his government and pick a replacement from among his most loyal ministers”, reported the Daily Mail.

Treasury minister John Glen, who backed the prime minister in both Tory leadership contests last year, is claimed to be “eyeing up the defence job”, said the Mail.

What next?

The next cabinet reshuffle is expected in September, after Parliament returns from summer recess, meaning a new defence secretary should be in place before party conference season.

Whoever takes over will face a daunting challenge, both personally and politically. Sky News said Wallace’s resignation interview with The Sunday Times revealed “frustration, disappointment and weariness after a marathon stint in one of the most high-pressure and stressful jobs in government”.

As well as the war in Ukraine, his successor will face an ongoing political battle over planned cuts to troop numbers and the size of the defence budget.

Wallace also warned that by the end of the decade, “the world is going to be much more unsafe, more insecure”, meaning Britain could find itself in a conflict by 2030, most likely with Russia, he said.

He is the Tories’ longest serving defence secretary “and will be a mighty hard act to follow”, said Sky News, “irrespective of whether he jumped, or was pushed out, by Number 10”.