Should The West Have Handled Ukraine Differently? | Former UK Defence Secretary

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.

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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