US President Joe Biden blocked Ben Wallace’s bid to steer NATO partially as a result of he served as a British soldier in Northern Ireland, it has been claimed. Close allies of the Defence Secretary steered that his excursions have been among the many the reason why the President of Irish descent didn't assist Mr Wallace.

One ally mentioned: “Biden wears his southern Irish roots on his sleeve and he will be well aware Ben served in the British Army during the Troubles.

“He's hardly particularly pro-British either, so we suspect it was one of the reasons why the President failed to throw his weight behind his candidature.”

The Tory minister had been pushing laborious to interchange Jens Stoltenberg as NATO head, who is because of step down from the function in autumn.

Mr Wallace determined to terminate his run for the management of the defence alliance final month.

The former soldier, who helped foil a bomb plot by the IRA in 1992, is now contemplating whether or not or to not even stand on the subsequent election.

Up till this level, Mr Wallace’s lack of ability to safe the place had been attributed to EU members of NATO insisting that solely a candidate from an EU state may head the alliance.

It has been reported in Tory circles that this was the US president’s chief purpose for not supporting Mr Wallace.

However, supporters of the Wyre and Preston North MP final evening claimed that Mr Biden’s pro-Irish stance might have had one thing to do with it.

When visiting the island of Ireland in April, the Democrat was accused of insulting Britain by failing to fly the Union Flag on the ‘Beast’ presidential car in Northern Ireland however then flying the Republic of Ireland’s flag when within the south.

A White House spokesman mentioned in response to the allegations that Mr Biden blanked Mr Wallace’s bid for the management on account of his army service in Northern Ireland that that was “100 per cent false and not accurate”.

Mr Wallace served in two separate excursions in Northern Ireland with the Scots Guards.

He was credited with convincing Mr Johnson to again Ukraine strongly within the face of Russian aggression, and as such many imagine that Mr Wallace was the strongest candidate for the function.