London: United Kingdom Defence secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself out of standing for the Conservative Party leadership, and says he is “leaning” towards Boris Johnson.

Speaking to Sky News, he said he believed he can provide the “best value” to the British people by remaining at the helm of the Ministry of Defence.

This will pave way for Johnson’s expected bid to return as prime minister after Liz Truss resigned as UK PM on Thursday after weeks of financial turmoil sparked by her mini-budget.

The race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party is underway as three candidates appear to be in the running to get nominated, with Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson likely to stand, reported Sky News.

“At the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson,” he said, adding Johnson still has
“questions to answer” around the partygate investigation that kicks off next month.

“This will be potentially our third prime minister since the general election of 2019, that means we have to think about that legitimacy question that the public will be asking themselves, and also about who could win the next election – that’s obviously important for any political party at the time,” he said.

“So at the moment, I would lean towards Boris Johnson.

“I think he will still have some questions to answer around, obviously, that investigation, but I know when I was Secretary of State for Defence, he invested in defence, he supported me, he supported the actions this country has taken to keep us safe,” said the Defence Secretary.

Wallace in a tweet also reiterated his stand that he will not let his name go forward as a candidate for the UK prime ministership.

“As the party starts the process of looking for a new leader, I would like to put on the record that I will not be letting my name go forward as a candidate. I am privileged to be
the UK Defence Secretary and the current threat requires stability in that office,” tweeted Wallace.

As the Party starts the process of looking for a new leader, I would like to put on the record that I will not be letting my name go forward as a candidate. I am privileged to be the UK Defence Secretary and the current threat requires stability in that office.

— Rt. Hon Ben Wallace MP (@BWallaceMP) October 21, 2022

“The reasons I gave last time for not standing, have not changed. I will be looking to all candidates to recognise that you cannot have economic security at home without national security. This requires real investment for our Armed Forces and intelligence agencies,” he added.

Truss’s predecessor Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak are the leading the potential contenders, although neither have formally declared their candidacy yet.