Ben Wallace backs Liz Truss

It was the endorsement that they were all after. Ben Wallace, the most popular member of Boris Johnson's cabinet has finally named his preferred candidate to be Britain's next Prime Minister: Liz Truss. The current Defence Secretary, who has won plaudits for his handling of the Ukraine crisis, has given an interview to the Sun in which he extols Truss's virtues. Wallace, who has worked closely with Truss to counter Russia's aggression, told the newspaper that:

“What you see is what you get with Liz and that is what the public wants more than ever at this moment. She’s authentic. She’s honest. And she’s experienced. I’ve sat next to Liz in the Cabinet for two and a half years. I’ve sat next to her in National Security Councils. I’ve sat next to her at Nato and international summits. I’ve seen her in action.

But perhaps more noticeable than the endorsement for Truss were Wallace's criticisms of her rival Rishi Sunak, who opted to quit Johnson's cabinet three weeks ago. He claims that:

“I don’t have the luxury as Defence Secretary of just walking out the door — I have roles in keeping this country safe. And the guardian of the markets, you know, the guardian of our economy, is the Chancellor. I mean, what would have happened that day if the markets had crashed?

Asked if Sunak was guilty of a dereliction of duty, Wallace replied: 'We each had our own considerations. I have a duty until I’m replaced.' He also took another swipe at Sunak when he acknowledged criticisms of Truss's past public performances. Wallace says that:

“I get that she is not the slickest salesperson on the planet, right? She’s not running a highly polished Hollywood production leadership campaign, but that’s reflective of who she is. She knows how to govern.

Wallace's endorsement was one of the most prized in this leadership race, given that his lead at the top of the Conservative Home cabinet table suggests he holds significant sway among the Conservative grassroots. His interview can perhaps be seen in the same light as the behaviour of Lord Frost, another well-respected Tory who has swung behind Truss.

Frost played something of a 'wrecker' role earlier in the campaign, lambasting Penny Mordaunt's work ethic on TalkTV and then using his Telegraph column to urge Kemi Badenoch to stand aside for Truss. Wallace's interview is similarly more about damning Sunak than it is praising Truss. The Defence Secretary claims that the former Chancellor tried to deny his department much-needed funds, with Treasury intransigence only defeated on Boris Johnson's instruction:

“The Prime Minister intervened, overruled, and insisted that defence got a multi year settlement. I’m keen that whoever is the next prime minister invest in defence. But the Treasury resisted the PM’s ambition for it to be 2.5 per cent.

Earlier tonight at the first membership hustings, Sunak sounded coy when asked if he'd keep Ben Wallace on in his current post if he wins: in retrospect it's not hard to see why. Given the pair's previous clashes, Wallace's preference is hardly a surprise but team Truss will present the endorsement as yet another sign that their candidate's campaign has momentum, just as Rishi Sunak's appears to be faltering.

Elsewhere in the interview, Wallace warned that more funding is needed to prevent the UK missing Nato defence targets in 2026 and gave a hint as to his own future plans. Long-believed to covet the role of Nato General-Secretary, Wallace was coy when asked, saying: 'Who knows? It’s a fantastic opportunity' before adding: 'You have to get support from every nation. It’s a big ask.' And as for speculation that Boris Johnson himself could get the job, Wallace quipped: 'He'd have to get Mr Macron’s support. Now I’m not a bookie…'