Joe Biden’s snub of Ben Wallace for next leader of Nato is part of the ageing President’s vendetta against the UK, writes MARK ALMOND
Former soldier Ben Wallace would have made an ideal candidate for Nato secretary general.
The Defence Secretary deserves much of the credit for galvanising support across the West for Ukraine, ensuring that Britain’s response to Russia’s cruelty has been strident and effective.
In war, a good organiser is vital. Wallace played a pivotal role in firing up the Whitehall machine to evacuate British citizens from Afghanistan in August 2021, and since February last year has masterminded the supply of weapons and training to Ukraine.
But now he himself has admitted that his dream to be Nato chief is ‘not going to happen’.
In a move that will delight Vladimir Putin, an unholy partnership between US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron has seen him vetoed.
Former soldier Ben Wallace would have made an ideal candidate for Nato secretary general
In a move that will delight Vladimir Putin, an unholy partnership between US President Joe Biden (pictured) and France’s Emmanuel Macron has seen him vetoed
Time and again, Macron seems to see London, not the Kremlin, as the ‘threat’ to Europe – and punishes Britain for having had the temerity to leave the EU’s putative superstate.
Yet France’s mischief-making is less of a problem than the meddling of the US and its octogenarian leader.
Biden approaches the world’s most sensitive issues with an open mouth. And his snub to Wallace is clearly symptomatic of a wider vendetta against the UK.
His ageing and increasingly unpredictable mind is gripped by a sentimental Irish nationalism nurtured as a child during World War Two, when Eire was neutral to Hitler’s threat.
On a recent visit to the island, he spent just a few hours in Northern Ireland, boorishly refusing to fly the Union flag on his ‘Beast’ limo before touring the Republic for days.
Not to mention his mix-up between the All Blacks rugby team and the ‘Black and Tans’ – an auxiliary police force deployed by Britain a century ago – and a joke that he ‘hated’ the fact his father had passed on an English surname.
Time and again, Macron (pictured) seems to see London, not the Kremlin, as the ‘threat’ to Europe
Biden’s recent refusal to commit to a free trade deal with post-Brexit Britain and his misnamed Inflation Reduction Act – which amounts to a protectionist attack on the EU and British economies – could almost give the impression that America is in an economic war with its allies, rather than Russia.
Other reports suggest that Biden’s wife Jill lobbied her husband to block Wallace’s Nato bid because she wanted to put a woman in charge, to play to the Democratic Party’s politically-correct base.
A more generous, if no less troubling, explanation is that this is simply another of Biden’s many gaffes. After all, the President increasingly makes foreign policy on the hoof.
This was chillingly demonstrated this week when, just 24 hours after his Secretary of State Andrew Blinken had shaken hands with President Xi Jinping, Biden publicly branded the Chinese premier a ‘dictator’.
It might be true. But this was a strategically important visit, designed to charm China away from Russia’s influence.
Such a blunder risks America’s diplomatic relationships and raises the question: Is Biden mentally and physically up to facing down the West’s rivals?
Britain and America have long shared a profound bond that forms a pillar of the global order.
Surely, at a time of intense international crisis, America’s ageing President doesn’t want to risk all that for personal whims.
Biden the blocker scuppers Wallace hopes for Nato job
Ben Wallace has pulled out of the race to be the next leader of Nato after the White House blocked him.
The Defence Secretary had mounted a vigorous campaign to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who is due to step down this autumn.
But the former Army officer has now thrown in the towel, saying: ‘It’s not going to happen.’
Mr Wallace added that Joe Biden’s White House wanted Mr Stoltenberg to stay to provide continuity in Nato’s response to the Ukraine conflict.
The decision is a bitter blow for Mr Wallace, who had hoped his prominent role in securing support for Ukraine would make him a serious contender.
Ben Wallace has pulled out of the race to be the next leader of Nato after the White House blocked him
It is also a setback for Rishi Sunak, who championed Mr Wallace’s cause enthusiastically during talks with the US President earlier this month.
And it will raise questions about the role of Mr Biden’s wife Jill, who is reported to have encouraged him to help deliver Nato’s first female secretary general.
But diplomatic sources insisted that gender had played only a minor part in the decision.
One source told the Mail: ‘Ben campaigned hard and the Prime Minister did push his candidacy, including with President Biden.
‘Yes, some countries did want a woman but that was not the biggest factor. The main issue that came up with Ben was his lack of experience at leader level.
‘Nato secretary general is a big job, especially now, and the last few successful candidates have all been former national leaders.
It is also a setback for Rishi Sunak (pictured), who championed Mr Wallace’s cause enthusiastically during talks with the US President earlier this month
‘Rightly or wrongly, there were some discussions about why, given he had not taken the opportunity to run for the leadership of his own country, he wanted to lead Nato.
‘There was also the EU dimension. Some countries, such as France, wanted a candidate from an EU country and did not want to see the UK rewarded after Brexit.
‘The process relies on consensus, and in the end it looks like they’re going to go back to Stoltenberg.’
President Biden had said he would consider supporting a Nato leader from the UK when he met Mr Sunak.
He said Mr Wallace was ‘very qualified’ but that it ‘remains to be seen’ who will get the job.
Speaking before travelling to the White House, Mr Sunak said: ‘Ben does a fantastic job.
‘He is a great Defence Secretary. Ben is widely respected among his colleagues around the world.’
He added: ‘We’re one of the only countries that participates in every single Nato operation. We are widely perceived as a thought leader in Nato.’
Nato leaders are expected to discuss the subject at a major summit in Lithuania next month.
They now look set to ask Mr Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian PM, to extend his term for a second time and serve a record ninth year.
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