British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is to quit his position later this year.
He plans to vacate his role when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conducts a government reshuffle, expected sometime in September.
Wallace told the Sunday Times in an interview he plans to leave Parliament at the time of the next election, expected in early 2025.
Speculation Wallace was planning to leave the Ministry of Defence has been growing in recent weeks foĺlowing his failure to secure the support of the Biden administration and others in his bid to be selected for the post of NATO secretary general.
Wallace subsequently made it known he was no longer in the running for the post.
NATO members’ inability to agree on a suitable replacement for the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, was temporarily resolved when he agreed to stay in office a further 12 months.
Wallace, a supporter of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, didn’t offer a reason for his decision to quit, but told the newspaper he was conscious of the toll the years in government had taken on his family.
Wallace, an ex-soldier, has been defense secretary for four years and before that was a security minister.
He has received praise in Britain for his upfront support of Ukraine with a significant supply of weapons and training, but caused a stir a few days ago when he criticized the Ukrainian government for not showing sufficient gratitude to nations like Britain. He noted the U.K. isn’t an Amazon delivery service for military hardware..
Wallace, the longest serving Conservative in the post, has also fought for more money for Britain’s military. The result of the effort may become clearer when an document on how Britain plans to reshape its forces , known as a command paper, is published as soon as Monday.
Wallace ruled himself out of the contest earlier this year to become prime minister despite being an early favorite among conservative voters.
Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.
