Why do some soldiers make bad politicians? What's the West doing wrong in terms of its policy towards the Ukraine War? How can Keir Starmer turn around the public perception of his Labour government? On today's episode of Leading Rory and Alastair are joined by Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. Tune in to hear the former Tory minister answers all these questions and more. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive our exclusive newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics. Video Editor: Kieron Leslie Assistant Producer: India Dunkley + Alice Horrell Social Producer: Harry Balden Producer: Nicole Maslen Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Head of Content: Tom Whiter Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport 00:00 Scotland 05:15 Why he went into politics 09:17 Do soldiers make a good politician 13:17 Does being in the military define your life 15:25 Should MPs spend a long time on the backbenches 19:46 The influence of Ken Clarke 24:52 How he sees George Osborne and David Cameron 29:00 A ‘one more heave’ election 30:12 Supporting Boris 34:12 How delivery in government works 40:50 The Successes and Failures in Ukraine 48:57 Russian Influence in the UK 51:10 Your Reactions to Ukraine 56:12 How to End the Ukraine Conflict 01:01:57 Can the West Truly Defeat Putin? 01:04:54 Trump’s Future with NATO 01:13:15 The Ongoing Israel-Palestine Conflict 01:17:34 Collaborating with Kemi Badenoch