UK defence minister Wallace: Won’t run to be PM, likely to back Boris Johnson

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.”