British defense secretary says he will quit at next Cabinet reshuffle

LONDON

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace on Saturday announced his decision to step down at the next reshuffle.

"I will not be standing next time," he told the Sunday Times in an interview posted early online.

Importantly, he emphasized that he has no intention of resigning his seat in Parliament "prematurely" and triggering a by-election.

Having served as defense secretary under three different prime ministers, Wallace has played a prominent role in UK efforts to address the conflict in Ukraine, which recently passed the 500-day mark.

Last week, Wallace sparked controversy during a press conference by saying the UK did not function like an "Amazon" delivery service for providing weapons to Ukraine.

Additionally, he suggested that Kyiv should consider expressing "gratitude" to its supporters.

In response, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak countered these remarks, highlighting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already expressed gratitude on multiple occasions for the assistance provided by the UK.

A reshuffle is expected to take place in September.