A prickly Ben Wallace has told Ukraine to show “gratitude” to its Western allies for their continued support in the war effort, after President Zelenskyy expressed disappointment at NATO’s reluctance to fast-track Ukraine’s membership to the alliance this week. Speaking to reporters in Vilnius today, the Defence Secretary vented his frustration, insisting Britain is “not Amazon” despite its backing against Russian aggression:

“Sometimes you have to persuade lawmakers on the Hill in America, you have to persuade doubting politicians in other countries that, you know, that is worth it, that it is worthwhile and that they are getting something for it. And whether you like it or not, that’s the reality of it… Sometimes you would hear grumbles not from the administration in the American system, but you would hear them from lawmakers on the Hill … We’ve given $83 billion worth or whatever, we are not Amazon… I told them that last year, when I drove 11 hours to be given a list…  There’s a slight word of caution here which is, whether you like it or not people want to see gratitude…”

An unusually testy statement, especially from the Defence Secretary of a country that often touts its “unwavering support”…

UPDATE: Rishi says Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have shown gratitude after all:

“I know him and his people are incredibly grateful for the support the UK has shown, the welcome we’ve provided to many Ukrainian families, and the leadership we’ve shown throughout this conflict…”

He didn’t have much to say about Wallace’s “Amazon” jibe…

Ben Wallace has admitted what just about everyone in SW1 already suspected: he’s eyeing up Jens Stoltenberg’s job as NATO Secretary General. Stoltenberg is due to step down in September, with NATO states set to appoint his successor soon. Now Wallace has made it clear he’s thinking of giving it a go…

Speaking to German news agency DPA in Berlin this afternoon, Wallace said:

“I’ve always said it would be a good job. That’s a job I’d like. But I’m also loving the job I do now. I mean, to be Defence Secretary of the British Government at a time of reform and investment, just like Boris Pistorius… [NATO General Secretary] is a fantastic job and Nato is an incredibly important part of all our securities.”

Taking the job in September would lead to a by-election in his Wyre and Preston North constituency. Although that’s being chopped up at the next election anyway…

Ben Wallace is clearly not in a mood for taking lectures today. Responding to a defence question from SNP MP Dave Doogan this afternoon, who claimed “army procurement couldn’t order a pizza and get it delivered on time and on budget”, Wallace gave him both barrels:

“Getting lessons from the SNP on procurement, I mean Ferguson Shipyard [is] clinging on by its fingernails. When push comes to shove, they buy their ferries from Turkey… he goes on about all the issues he thinks is wrong with the armed forces from a man who was going to campaign to break up the United Kingdom, reduce the Scottish armed forces to a rubber dinghy, and of course just tell everyone else that it’s all the fault of the English […] and what would be really nice is if once in a while, the SNP in Scotland actually did more than stand in front of ceremonial troops, got out there, helped soldiers be recruited… helped the schools talk about what’s important about defence, rather than always talk it down.”

Taking no prisoners…

The latest instalment of Conservative Home’s cabinet league table paints a somewhat promising picture for the government. Most cabinet ministers see modest increases in support, with Ben Wallace still leading the pack on 83%. Amongst the big winners are Dominic Raab and Suella Braverman, who have seen support rise by 20% and 16% respectively. The Scottish trans row is currying favour for some, as Alister Jack climbs into fifth place.

Kemi Badenoch is in a strong second place based on the polling, which was done before her anti-Boris activism came out. That may lead to a discount next month. Rishi sees a modest increase in his support, whilst Jeremy Hunt drops further, by around 7%. Thérèse Coffey also slides into the red. The real loser for the week is Johnny Mercer, who’s fallen 19 points, from fourth to thirteenth. Picking a fight with Ben Wallace is clearly not the way to Conservative members’ hearts.

The man tasked with defending Britain is now engaged in open warfare with his own junior minister. This morning Ben Wallace returned fire on Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer after the latter accused him of posturing ahead of the budget. Speaking to LBC, Wallace reminded Nick Ferrari that Mercer is only a junior minister, and “luckily doesn’t have to run the budget“. For those wondering how two Ministers ended up fighting each other, here’s a brief recap:

At the end of January, Wallace told Sky News “Defence has been hollowed out for years“, and “the British Army has fallen behind its peer group.” The next day, Guido revealed audio of Johnny Mercer saying Wallace had been “disingenuous” and his claims were “fundamentally not true” at an event for the Coalition for Global Prosperity. Comments he initially denied even making, until Guido published the audio…

Mercer then doubled down on his claim, telling LBC “it is obviously not credible to say that the money has been taken out of defence.” Now Wallace is pushing back with a department-measuring contest, pointing out he’s in charge of 224,000 staff, while Mercer only has “12 people in the office”. “He’s not the Secretary of State”…

Now a third soldier has entered the battle – Johnny’s wife Felicity Cornelius-Mercer:

It’s war…

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace gave a traditionally forthright set of interviews this morning, at one point describing allegations that NATO has asked Germany to remain in charge of their rapid-reaction force due to UK forces being overstretched as “just bollocks”. Not often you hear that on BBC Breakfast…

The claim was first made by Table.Media, a German media outlet, before being picked up in this weekend’s Mail on Sunday:

“The information service said Nato had expressed concerns that the UK would not be able to take over command of the unit by the deadline of January 1, 2024, and had informally asked the Bundeswehr – the German military – if it would continue to lead it in 2024 instead.”

In response, Ben Wallace says NATO leadership did not approach anybody, the UK is taking over the VJTF as scheduled and the claim is based on reports “from a German website you and I have never heard of”. He was quite open about making a case to the Treasury for “some money” to battle inflation, though didn’t admit the reported figure of £10 billion needed…

Also eyebrow-raising was Wallace’s response to being asked whether he’d like to be the next NATO Secretary General:

“Being Defence Secretary is a great job, though not good for the hairline”

The response is being widely interpreted as a great big ‘yes please’.

Why ever could he be wanting an escape route…