British Defense Minister Ben Wallace speaks during the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Britain, October 2, 2022. Reuters
London, October 21
British defence minister Ben Wallace on Friday said he would not stand in the contest to replace Liz Truss as prime minister and was leaning towards backing former Boris Johnson.
After Truss quit on Thursday, ending her six weeks in power, those who want to replace her are trying to find the 100 votes from Conservative lawmakers needed to run in a contest which the party hopes will reset its ailing fortunes.
"I feel that I can add the best value in keeping people safe at defence, by being the Defence Secretary," Wallace told reporters. "It's the job that I have been doing and it's the job I intend to stay doing so I'm not going to be standing for prime minister this time."
Truss's predecessor Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak are the leading the potential contenders, although neither have formally declared their candidacy yet.
Asked who he would back, he said: "At the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson."
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
Most Read In 24 Hours
Don't Miss
View All
Top News
Video: ED recovers ‘mini mountain’ of cash from servant’s room of Jharkhand minister's secretary
ED sources say the cash is being counted to ascertain the ex...
After Delhi, 6 schools in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad receive bomb threats via emails
Local police, bomb disposal squad and crime branch personnel...
MTech student from Haryana’s Karnal stabbed to death in Australia
According to victim’s uncle, the alleged accused also hails ...
Abduction case: SIT conducts spot inspection at Revanna’s residence in Bengaluru
In the absence of the Revanna family, the SIT team summons h...
Will climate change allow India to hold another election in summer months?
Temperatures are rising and voting percentages dropping; Iss...
