Ben Wallace

Sir Robert Ben Lobban Wallace KCB (born 15 May 1970) is a British politician and former British Army Officer who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre and Preston North, formerly Lancaster and Wyre, from 2005 to 2024.

Before becoming involved in politics, Wallace was a captain in the Scots Guards. He was elected in 1999 as a Conservative list Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland, serving until 2003.[1][2] He subsequently resigned from the Scottish Parliament, moved to Lancashire and sought selection for a Westminster constituency in England.[3][4] First elected to the UK Parliament in 2005, Wallace served as a backbencher for nearly five years. From 2010 to 2014, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Secretary of State for Justice, Ken Clarke. Wallace served as a party whip from July 2014 to May 2015.

Following the 2015 general election and the formation of the majority Cameron government, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office. In 2016, he was appointed Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime by Theresa May, holding the position until she left office in July 2019. A supporter of Boris Johnson, Wallace was promoted to Secretary of State for Defence's senior cabinet role after Johnson became prime minister. He continued the role under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, making him the longest-serving member of the Cabinet 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 the next Cabinet reshuffle and that he would not be seeking re-election as an MP at the 2024 general election.[6] In August 2023, Wallace formally resigned as Secretary of State for Defence.[7]