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 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. But he ruled out going “prematurely” and forcing another by-election, the newspaper said.
“I went into politics in the Scottish parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years,” Wallace told the paper.
Wallace has been defense chief since July 2019.
A Cabinet reshuffle is expected by September.
