Ben Wallace (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Ben Wallace
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 24 July 2019 – 31 August 2023 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Succeeded by | Grant Shapps |
| Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime | |
| In office 17 July 2016 – 24 July 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | John Hayes |
| Succeeded by | Brandon Lewis |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 12 May 2015 – 17 July 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Andrew Murrison |
| Succeeded by | Kris Hopkins |
| Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North Lancaster and Wyre (2005–2010) |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Hilton Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) |
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| In office 6 May 1999 – 31 March 2003 |
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| Succeeded by | Nanette Milne |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Ben Lobban Wallace
15 May 1970 Farnborough, Kent, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Liza Cooke
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | Lancashire, England London, England |
| Education | Millfield School |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Signature | _signature.svg) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1991–1998 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Scots Guards |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles |
| Awards | Mentioned in dispatches |
Sir Ben Wallace (born on 15 May 1970) is a British politician. He used to be an officer in the British Army. From 2019 to 2023, he was the Secretary of State for Defence. This important job means he was in charge of the UK's armed forces.
Ben Wallace is a member of the Conservative Party. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre and Preston North from 2005 to 2024. An MP is someone elected to represent a local area in the UK Parliament.
Before becoming an MP, Wallace was a Captain in the Scots Guards, a part of the British Army. In 1999, he was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland. He served there until 2003.
After moving to England, he became an MP in 2005. He held several government jobs before becoming Defence Secretary. These included being a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office and a Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime. He became Defence Secretary when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in 2019. He continued in this role under Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. This made him the longest-serving person in the UK government's main team (the Cabinet) to stay in the same job for so long. In 2023, he announced he would step down as Defence Secretary and not run for MP again.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ben Wallace was born on 15 May 1970 in Farnborough, Kent, England. His father was also an officer in the army.
Wallace went to Millfield, which is a private school in Somerset. After school, he trained to be an officer. He also spent some time working as a ski instructor in Austria.
Military Service
After training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Ben Wallace joined the Scots Guards as a second lieutenant in 1991. He served in places like Germany, Cyprus, Belize, and Northern Ireland until 1998.
In 1993, he was promoted to Lieutenant. Later that year, he was praised for his actions in Belfast. His team captured a group from the IRA who were trying to carry out a bomb attack. In 1996, he became a Captain.
Wallace was on duty the night Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997. He was part of the group that brought her body back from Paris. In 1998, he left active service in the army. He later explained that he enjoyed leading soldiers, but that part of the job would become less as he got older.
Wallace is also a member of the Royal Company of Archers. This is a special ceremonial group that acts as the King's bodyguard in Scotland. In 2022, he took part in the vigil (a period of watching) over Queen Elizabeth II's coffin when she was lying in state in Westminster Hall.
Political Journey
Starting in Scottish Politics
After leaving the army, Ben Wallace decided to enter politics. He wanted to help improve the lives of people from poorer areas. In 1999, he became a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland. He was the Scottish Conservatives' spokesperson for health during this time. He did not seek re-election in 2003 because he wanted to become an MP in the UK Parliament in England.
From 2003 to 2005, he worked as an overseas director for QinetiQ, an aerospace company.
Becoming a UK Member of Parliament
In 2005, Ben Wallace was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Lancaster and Wyre area. He won the seat from the Labour Party. In 2008, he faced some criticism because his expenses claims were quite high. However, he explained that his local area had many more voters than the average area in England.
His local area changed for the 2010 election, and he was elected for the new area of Wyre and Preston North. He was re-elected in 2015, 2017, and 2019. This showed that his party had strong support in his area. Wallace has said he will not be an MP after the next general election.
From 2005 to 2010, Wallace was part of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons. He was also a spokesperson for Scotland for his party. In 2008, he won an award for his work to make MPs' expenses more open and clear.
Junior Minister Roles
After being re-elected in 2010, Wallace became a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Kenneth Clarke, who was then the Secretary of State for Justice. In 2014, he became a party whip, a role that helps manage party members in Parliament.
In 2015, Wallace was promoted to a junior minister role in the Northern Ireland Office. In 2016, Theresa May made him Minister of State for Security. His job was expanded in 2017 to include economic crime. He was the Security Minister during the terror attacks in 2017 and the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. He was made a member of the Privy Council for his work in handling these events.
Secretary of State for Defence
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On 24 July 2019, Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and appointed Ben Wallace as Secretary of State for Defence. This is a very senior role in the government.
In August 2019, Wallace was heard talking about Boris Johnson's decision to temporarily close Parliament. He suggested it was to stop MPs from blocking Brexit plans. This was different from the official reason given by the government. The Supreme Court later said this closure was unlawful.
In October 2019, at a NATO meeting, Wallace supported Turkey's military actions in Syria. Other countries at the meeting disagreed with him. In January 2020, Wallace said that the UK should be ready to fight wars without the US, a key ally. He said the UK needed to be less dependent on the US in future conflicts. This was in response to US President Donald Trump's "America First" policies.
In July 2021, Wallace said the United States had put Britain in a "very difficult position" by pulling most of its troops out of Afghanistan. After the US troops left, the Taliban quickly took control of Afghanistan. Wallace said the UK would work with the Taliban if they followed international rules. During a radio interview, he became emotional when talking about the withdrawal, saying, "because I'm a soldier... because it's sad."
Wallace was in charge of Operation Pitting, the British effort to evacuate people from Kabul, Afghanistan. He was involved in a decision to allow Pen Farthing, who ran an animal sanctuary, to evacuate people and animals.
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In February 2022, Wallace met with the Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, in Moscow. Shoigu said Russia had no plans to invade Ukraine. The next day, Wallace said a Russian invasion of Ukraine was "highly likely." He advised British citizens to leave Ukraine. The Russian invasion began the day after.
In March 2022, a video was released of Wallace in a prank call by Russian pranksters. They pretended to be the Ukrainian Prime Minister. Wallace was also involved in the decision to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in March 2023, after initial hesitation.
In July 2022, when Boris Johnson resigned, Wallace was considered a possible new leader. However, he decided not to run, saying he wanted to focus on his job as Defence Secretary. He supported Liz Truss, who became Prime Minister. He kept his job when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October.
In January 2023, Wallace and other defence ministers signed the Tallinn Pledge. This agreement showed their strong support for Ukraine against Russia.
In July 2023, Wallace said that Ukraine should show more thanks to Western countries for their help. He mentioned that some lawmakers felt Ukraine was making too many demands for military aid.
On 15 July 2023, Wallace announced he would resign as Defence Secretary soon and would not run for MP in the 2024 election. He was the longest-serving Conservative Defence Secretary. He officially resigned on 31 August 2023.
Life After Government
After leaving his government role, Ben Wallace continued to speak about defence issues. In April 2024, after Iran attacked Israel with drones, Wallace said the West should "hit back twice as hard" against Iran and Russia. He said these countries "thrive on the West’s lack of resolve." He also suggested Israel should send weapons to Ukraine.
In February 2024, Wallace expressed his disappointment that Germany's leader, Olaf Scholz, would not give Ukraine Taurus missiles.
In July 2024, Wallace said that Europe could and should do more to help Ukraine, even if the United States reduced its support. In August 2024, he said Ukraine "should be given the tools to finish the job" against Russia. In September, he stated that arguments over sending long-range missiles to Ukraine only helped Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin.
Personal Life
Ben Wallace married Liza Cooke in 2001. They met when she worked as a researcher in the Scottish Parliament. His wife worked as a part-time assistant in his office until 2019. They have since separated. He has said that the demands of his job affected his private life. They have two sons and a daughter.
Wallace spends his time between Lancashire and London. For fun, he enjoys skiing, sailing, rugby, and horse racing.
Awards and Recognition
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
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Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (KCB) | Awarded in 2024 for his public service. |
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General Service Medal | Received for his service in Northern Ireland. |
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Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | Awarded in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne. |
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Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | Awarded in 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne. |
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Cross of Merit of the Ministry of Defence (Class I) | From Estonia. |
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Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (Class II) | From Ukraine. |
Images for kids
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Wallace with senior British Army officers at the Household Division Military Musical Spectacular in 2022
