Wallace 'very confident' in whoever replaces General Sanders as head of Army

Ben Wallace has said he is "very confident" in whoever replaces the head of the British Army and hopes the next Chief of the General Staff will continue the modernisation of UK land forces.

General Sir Patrick Sanders is expected to stand down as Army chief next year with the Ministry of Defence getting ready to begin interviews for his replacement, according to reports.

The Defence Secretary, a former Army officer himself, said: "Ultimately, I am confident in the quality of the generals we have that I will be interviewing for the post, will be able to continue the same effect, as required."

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General Sir Patrick only became Chief of the General Staff in June 2022, an appointment that normally lasts around three years.

Mr Wallace responded to claims that General Sir Patrick was being pushed out of the position early due to his outspoken comments on Army cuts, by saying: "I read the report, it is completely spurious."

He added: "When I appointed him the condition was he would be doing a two-year post," and "that is the deal we made."

The Defence Secretary also paid tribute to Gen Sir Patrick by saying that he hopes that the next CGS "will be able to continue his excellent work and I am also very confident that General Sir Patrick contributed amazingly to not only Ukraine, but the overall reform and modernisation of the Army."

General Sir Patrick took up the role of Chief of the General Staff at a critical time for the Army and has spoken out against cuts to the numbers of serving personnel and been critical of the "decades of disinvestment" in technology and kit.

It is understood the recruitment process to replace him will take around 18 months.