Michael Fallon. Causes and consequences of the resignation of the British Minister of Defense

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

The post of British Minister of Defense is extremely important for coordinating the country's defense and security. This responsible position gives certain rights, but also imposes obligations on the performer. For a while, Michael Fallon served as British Secretary of Defense. But due to past inappropriate behavior, he decided to resign and informed the people through the BBC.

Who is the Minister of Defense?

Winston Churchill (1940-45) became the First Minister of Defense of Great Britain. The position was created in the state for the first time in 1940. English law provides that the existing king/queen is always the commander-in-chief. But in fact, the country's military policy is handled by the Prime Minister, who exercises his power through the British Secretary of Defense.

What does the UK Department of Defense do?

The Ministry of Defense implements the decisions of the British government and directsarmed forces, controls activities and organizations whose activities are aimed at arming and logistical support of the army.

Biography of the Minister of Defense

Michael Fallon was born in Scotland on May 14, 1952. Graduated from the University of St. Andrews.

His career began in 1974 when, as a young man, Michael joined the European Educational Research Center. He began to quickly move up the career ladder, and after three years he began to sit in the House of Lords as Secretary of the Committee on the Future.

For three years (1979-1981) he was Managing Director of European Consultants Ltd.

Choosing a life path connected with politics, Michael Fallon purposefully occupied more and more high posts. In 1943, the Conservative Party chose Fallon as their representative for a position in the House of Commons. But in 1992, Michael gave this post to Alan Milburn, since since 1988 he worked for Margaret Thatcher (parliamentary organizer).

Since 1997, Michael Fallon's activities have been associated with the country's Department of Commerce - he was the finance minister in the shadow government of England.

Fallon's Foreign Activities

Fallon is known to have been active in the country and outside of politics. He ran fitness clubs, and several homes for the elderly worked under his command. He participated in the activities of Attendo AB, which provided social and medical assistancein Scandinavia. The figure was also engaged in inter-industry brokerage.

But due to the political direction at work, Michael Fallon had to give up other foreign policy interests. He was fully focused on the work of Minister of State for Business and Enterprise when he took office in 2012. The following year, Michael became Minister of Energy.

Since 2014, its direction has changed towards the state defense system. On July 15, he was elected British Secretary of Defense. During the 2015 re-election process in Cameron's 2nd Cabinet, Michael Fallon secured his post.

Referendum

During the referendum that was held to confirm Britain's continued EU membership in 2016, a majority of people voted against membership. Then Fallon stopped working as Prime Minister and remained as Minister of Defense of Great Britain.

Michael Fallon Family

There is information that Michael Fallon is married. In addition, he has two children. He was previously known to be a decent family man.

Resignation

Due to the scandal that erupted in connection with the inappropriate behavior of Michael Fallon 15 years ago, the British Secretary of Defense resigned. He communicated his decision to Theresa May via a letter sent to her on November 1, 2017.

Theresa May, in turn, supported the minister. She sent back a letter expressing her sincere regrets about hisdecision to leave office. The letter also contains a positive description of Fallon as a responsible employee.

Scandal

The scandal itself erupted because of a photograph taken 15 years ago. It shows a man sitting next to Julia Harley-Brewer. He put his hand on her knee. The incident happened at a public dinner. It was an official event that the woman attended as a journalist.

Julia spoke about the situation long before the scandal was made public. She concealed the name of the person who harassed her, saying that her companion showed his interest in her several times, put his hand on her knee. She made it clear to the man that his behavior was unpleasant to her, but this did not stop him. Then Julia said that next time she would punch him in the face.

After careful examination of the photograph, it was concluded that this man is British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon. In response to the accusations, Fallon himself says that the incident did take place, but he has long apologized to the woman for the inconvenience caused to her. The reason that the British Minister of Defense resigned, according to him, was not a scandal. As he stated, these were personal reasons that had nothing to do with the accusations against him.

Aftermath of the incident

The resignation of the British Defense Secretary unveiled a really importantproblem in Parliament. It turns out that British journalists have already collected about 40 complaints against members of the Conservative Party, whose names are mentioned in allegations of sexual harassment of employees. A 15-year-old harassment story is snowballing and threatening to become a massive scandal.