The president of the European Commission, former German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen, is said to be among the candidates for the position of secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, British tabloid The Sun reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic source who was not identified. names.

Several NATO member states have suggested Ms von der Leyen take over the post after Jens Stoltenberg steps down, the report said.

The Norwegian is expected to retire in October as planned. His term was extended three times. He has been the Secretary General of NATO for the past nine years.

The Sun report, citing unnamed British government sources, said London would likely veto Ms von der Leyen’s candidacy, citing critics of her poor record as head of the German army.

The British government is reportedly tipping the current Tory defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to take over the post. If he succeeds Mr Stoltenberg, he will be the first Briton to head the military alliance in two decades.

According to the British tabloid, among the candidates being discussed are those of Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kalas and Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, whose mother is Ukrainian.

According to other sources, recently cited by the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, among the leading candidates are believed to be Ben Wallace and the Socialist Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez.