Ben Wallace is the Churchill of his generation – he deserves our praise

We blame politicians for being venal and self-serving, and not without reason, but here we have some cause to celebrate, writes Salma Shah

We are lucky with our defence secretary, he has expertise and experience, and is doing an excellent job (AP)

The invasion of Ukraine has drawn endless parallels with the last time a European power, suffering from low self-esteem, started to invade its neighbours.

Claims that our action is akin to Chamberlain’s appeasement and remarking on Putin’s Hitler impersonation is the rudimentary analysis we’re clinging to, with the hopes the outcome turns out the same: victory to the allies, freedom and democracy the world over. But in order for this to be true, we would also need to cast a Churchill. Step forward Ben Wallace.

The UK’s defence secretary, whilst important to us, is part of a bigger network of ministers and diplomats across the globe trying to negotiate a peace in these most testing of times. The British are bit players in this drama. We are making a contribution, significant in parts but very much in a coalition.

Nonetheless, it’s startling to find a cabinet minister, that most derided species, being praised and commended for their work. As one senior Tory remarked to me: “Competent and solid with proper experience. A tall man in a cabinet of pygmies.” So not quite Churchill by their standards, but still in his mould.

Indeed, there are some striking similarities between Wallace and Winston: the height if not quite the build, the military career and the hint of devil-may-care maverick. Whilst Boris Johnson wants to be seen as Churchill, it looks like Ben Wallace inhabits more of his character.

There are flashes of a deeper connection too. Churchill, you see, didn’t seem to mind a good cry, evidenced by his tears at the memorial of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and we’ve seen Ben can blubber too. Who could blame him when the fate of lost Afghans is the reason he’s choking back tears? Despite the British penchant for keeping a stiff upper lip, emotional depth and expression is an important trait when it comes to leadership, especially in a crisis. Understanding the cost and paying for it needs more than an ability to calculate spreadsheets and submissions.

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We often criticise our politicians and become armchair experts, on Brexit and the complexities of trade, on pandemics and epidemiology, and now on tactical warfare in light of the Ukraine invasion. We fill the vacuum of our knowledge with our opinions and instincts. We blame politicians for being venal and self-serving, and not without reason. But here we have some cause to celebrate. We are lucky with our defence secretary, he has expertise and experience, and is doing an excellent job.

He is a politician not quite taken with the mod cons of public life, sceptical in large part of people like me, glorified bag-carriers. I had the pleasure of working with him in the home office, where he was across the detail of his brief, and operated with a type of military precision and an old soldier’s taste for adventure. He had opinions and a sophisticated world view. He’s also quite good fun.

He definitely doesn’t always get it right, there are the occasional serious missteps with language like his references to Munich, but what matters is seeing an example of a good ministerial appointment driven by understanding, duty and seriousness. He is well-suited to this Herculean task and it’s right that as much as we slam public figures for their misdemeanours, we also praise them for their achievements.