Ben Wallace

The defence secretary dodged answering questions on whether he run for leadership, insisting he will continue to focus on his job.

“Not a week goes by when I don’t reach out to them or talk to those parties. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “I don’t think there is a risk of that at all.

Gove and Raab have ruled themselves out, but many others from different wings of Tory party are mulling their chances.

He is the only well-known member of the party who has actually offered policies.” But he became a bookmakers’ favourite based on polling of party members by ConservativeHome. A source close to Jake Berry, the leader of the Northern Research Group of MPs, told PoliticsHome he was considering a run. He told Times Radio people are asking him to do it, and it would be “dismissive and disrespectful” if he did not heed expressions of support, though he said he regards the prospect with “something akin to dread”. On Thursday, he said the party needed a “clean start” and three of his backers publicly declared their support, including One Nation group leader, Damian Green, the former first secretary of state. Tugendhat, on the One Nation side and chair of the foreign affairs committee, has previously said he would throw his hat into the ring.

After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday, there's a short list of candidates to succeed him in the post -- but defense ...

He became Johnson's defense minister in July 2019 after Prime Minister Theresa May retired. "Wallace wins all of his match-ups by wide margins," YouGov said in a statement. A YouGov snap poll of more than 700 British Conservative Party members showed that Wallace has the most support (13%) among a dozen contenders.

New snap YouGov polling of 716 Conservative party members shows at first glance that the field appears to be diverse. Ben Wallace tops the list, at 13%, neck ...

Wallace wins all of his match-ups by wide margins. His closest competitor is Rishi Sunak, whom he sees off by 51% to 30%. He beats both Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt handily with 48% of the vote to their 26-29%. And most Conservative members (58%) prefer him over Jeremy Hunt (22%). New snap YouGov polling of 716 Conservative party members shows at first glance that the field appears to be diverse.

The race to replace Boris Johnson has now started, in what is likely to be a bruising contest.

But at the last minute he announced his own candidacy – which prompted Mr Johnson to postpone his leadership ambitions as other MPs withdrew their backing. The Deputy Prime Minister has confirmed he is not planning to stand. As the bookies odds suggest, Mr Wallace and Mr Sunak are emerging as the early frontrunners to become prime minister. The Brexit Opportunities Minister launched a stinging attack on Mr Sunak’s record at the Treasury and told Channel 4 News: “Rishi Sunak was not a successful chancellor. But his popularity appears to be on the up again, and is seen as one of the favourites. “It’s not the right time for me. Because of his ties to Scotland, Mr Wallace could also be the person to fend off a second Scottish independence referendum and ensure the Union remains united. He was a high-tax chancellor, and he was a chancellor who was not alert to the inflationary problem.” While only two Tory MPs have officially launched their bid, at least 11 are expected to run. As chairman of the Health and Social Care Select Committee he has criticised the Government’s apparent failures in the early stages of the pandemic and has continued to win support from Tory members. Mr Zahawi recently hinted he could throw his hat in the ring, when he said it would be “a privilege” to be PM – but he did state that he was keen to see through his brief in education. Mr Johnson said he “regrets not to have been successful in those arguments” and added: “The herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.”

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Sir Robert Buckland, who has just been appointed the new Secretary of State for Wales, has declined to rule out running as Tory leader. Mr Shapps, who was key to the Prime Minister’s fight for survival during partygate, was among the Cabinet ministers telling Mr Johnson to stand down on Wednesday. The Defence Secretary, who served in the Scots Guards, was a key voice in the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and this increased exposure could assist any leadership bid.

BEN WALLACE is among the favourites to replace ousted Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A long history working in politics, what many may not know about is his ...

And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. Mr Johnson added: "I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. Yesterday, Boris Johnson dramatically resigned as the UK's Prime Minister, delivering a farewell speech surrounded by his family and supporters outside No 10. "The other big mover in the betting is Tom Tugendhat. His odds took a big tumble when he confirmed he was intending to stand." DON'T MISS: Penny Mordaunt voting record: Where does she stand on key issues? By 1993, he was promoted to Lieutenant, and in the same year was mentioned in dispatches as a result of an incident in Northern Ireland.

The defence secretary dodged answering questions on whether he run for leadership, insisting he will continue to focus on his job.

“Not a week goes by when I don’t reach out to them or talk to those parties. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “I don’t think there is a risk of that at all.

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After it was revealed that the UK had voted to leave, Wallace tweeted: “As a remainer, I am of course gutted by the result. After Clarke returned to the back benches, Wallace accepted a job in the Government as a whip. I was on the way to the cookhouse and they threw some grenades against the fence that blew up. “I can remember lying in bed and hearing a machine gun open up against the fence a few metres away from me. Boris Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, appointed Wallace as the Minister of State for Security in the Home Office. He was the security minister during the 2017 terror attacks and the attempted assassination of Sergei Skipral in Salisbury. Wallace was elected as MP for the constituency of Lancaster and Wyre at the 2005 general election, taking the seat from Labour. The constituency was disbanded for the 2010 general election and Wallace instead stood for the new seat of Wyre and Preston North, which he obtained.

As Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and the UK's prime minister, the country's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tops an opinion poll ...

Meanwhile, discussions continue on whether Johnson should remain as the prime minister until a new leader is elected. In the meantime, the public would not forgive us if we left these Offices of State empty.” As Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and the UK’s prime minister, the country’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tops an opinion poll on who should become the new leader of the party and the country.