Or attempting to breach the US UK helicopter contract... with retaliatory intent? He resigned as Secretary of Defense, former Secretary of State for the United Kingdom and the United States
According to sources cited by The Times on the 2nd, former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace attempted to disrupt the supply contract for American "Zhinugan" helicopters ordered for British special forces on the eve of his resignation, which subsequently sparked diplomatic friction with the US government.
According to reports, the UK originally planned to order 14 Boeing made Chinook CH-47 helicopters for the British special forces.
However, before reaching an agreement on the purchase decision, Wallace issued a "warning" directly to the US Pentagon. In August, Wallace directly wrote to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, proposing to renegotiate this deal.
Sources have stated that as part of the spending reduction plan, Wallace has been proposing to cancel this transaction in the previous weeks. He expressed skepticism towards the contract, especially after the contract amount increased by $630 million.
In addition, the report also revealed that the British and American ambassadors were also involved in this argument and forced Downing Street to intervene in an attempt to ease the tension.
According to reports, Wallace may have sought to cancel the contract due to helicopter costs, or he may have been angry at the United States for refusing to support his candidacy for the position of NATO Secretary General.
According to the Daily Telegraph on June 22, government sources have claimed that US President Biden's obstruction of Wallace's campaign to become NATO Secretary General has made Britain "unhappy".
On August 31st, Wallace submitted his resignation to British Prime Minister Sunak, who accepted and announced the appointment of Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions Secretary Sharps to take over the position.