Preferred Conservative candidate Ben Wallace is not a candidate to lead the Conservative Party

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace will not run for the presidency of the Conservative Party. Among his fellow party members, Wallace was the favorite to succeed Boris Johnson as party leader and thus as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Johnson announced a few days ago that he would step down as prime minister.

“After careful consultation with colleagues and family, I have decided not to run for Conservative leadership,” Wallace said on Twitter. Thanks to everyone who pledged their support. It is not clear which potential candidate he will support.

According to Wallace, it was not an easy decision, “but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe. I wish all candidates good luck and hope we can focus on the issues we all need to address soon.”

Wallace is a veteran of the Conservative Party. He has sat on behalf of the party in the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and in the House of Commons since 2005.

Under pressure from his own party and after several members of his government resigned, Johnson announced his departure last Thursday. Shortly before that, he should have admitted that in February he was a party member Chris Pincher cum whip Knowing that an allegation of sexual misconduct has been made against Pincher.

But this affair was just the last straw in a series of scandals, with Partigate attracting the most attention over the past year. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Johnson’s staff hosted shutdown parties at the official residence and other government buildings.