Sunak quiet on whether Wallace's Nato job bid is on agenda during US trip
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declined to comment if a Ben Wallace bid for Nato's top job will be on the agenda when he travels to the US.
The Prime Minister, who is set to visit Washington on Thursday for talks with US President Joe Biden, did not give an answer to a question about if he would use the trip to lobby for the Defence Secretary to take over as Nato Secretary General.
Mr Wallace is seen as a potential contender for the soon-to-be vacant role, replacing Jens Stoltenberg.
Reports claim Mr Sunak hopes to encourage Mr Biden to back Mr Wallace for the role.
During a press conference in Dover, however, Mr Sunak refused to be drawn on the reports, but he praised Mr Wallace for his continued service in his role.
The Prime Minister said: "Ben does a fantastic job. He is a great Defence Secretary.
"This is a conversation that is happening amongst leaders around the world more generally and I'm sure it will continue to happen.
"Ben is widely respected among his colleagues around the world.
"We're one of the only countries that participates in every single Nato operation. We are widely perceived as a thought leader in Nato."
He added: "And I think if you asked the Nato secretary general, he would agree with everything I've just said, and we will always continue to be a strong contributor and participant in Nato."
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