Joe Biden says it may very well be time for British NATO boss – as Ben Wallace rumoured for high job

It may very well be time for a British NATO Secretary General, in keeping with US President Joe Biden.

Amid rising hypothesis that UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace needs to take excessive function when Jens Stoltenberg stands down later this yr, Mr Biden was requested if he would help a Briton taking the highest job throughout a press conference with Rishi Sunak on the White House.

Mr Biden was requested: “In light of the warm words right now about UK/US defence collaboration, particularly in Ukraine, do you think it is time for the first UK Nato Secretary General in two decades?”

The president replied: “Maybe, that remains to be seen.”

Mr Biden added: “We’re going to should get a consensus inside NATO to see that occur.

“They have a candidate who’s a very qualified individual… we have a lot of discussion between us in NATO, to determine what the outcome of that will be.”

It was not fully clear if he meant Mr Wallace was the “very qualified individual”.

If Mr Wallace is profitable, he could be the primary British individual to carry the submit since Baron George Robertson vacated it in 2003.

It was anticipated that Rishi Sunak would make Mr Wallace’s case for the job to Mr Biden.

He was visiting the president in Washington DC, the place the pair revealed an “Atlantic Declaration” to spice up financial safety.

In his assertion to the press from the White House, Mr Sunak highlighted the UK has constantly spent greater than the NATO goal for member states to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

This may very well be seen as a slight aimed on the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, who can also be stated to be within the operating for the highest function throughout the alliance.

Denmark didn’t meet the goal of spending 2% of its financial output on defence final yr.

Ms Frederiksen additionally visited the United States and Mr Biden earlier this week.

Some throughout the alliance are pushing for a lady or somebody from Eastern Europe to take over given the context of the conflict in Ukraine. Many of the alliance’s earlier leaders have been Northern European males.

France reportedly needs an EU candidate to take over.

The choice of the brand new secretary common normally takes place behind the scenes.

Mr Sunak additionally made the case for Mr Wallace to tackle the function whereas on the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, final month.

Read extra:
Wallace: Defence budget has been ‘raided’
Defence of move to cut UK’s fleet of special forces aircraft
Why NATO expansion may lead to ‘axis of evil’

However, it has not been an excessively specific marketing campaign.

The prime minister instructed ITV on the time: “I know he’s widely respected by his peers for the role that he has played.

“He’s centered proper now on supporting Ukraine. He’s doing an excellent job of that.”

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace said: “I’ve at all times stated it will be a great job. That’s a job I’d like.

“But I’m also loving the job I do now.”

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

The secretary common function “is a fantastic job and NATO is an incredibly important part of all our securities,” he added.

“But it’s not for me to decide. It’s for all the other allies,” Mr Wallace stated.