UK defence chief John Healey resigns amid feud with Starmer over military spending
Healey accused the prime minister of failing to commit the resources needed to protect the country from rising threats
British Defence Minister John Healey quit on Thursday in a dispute over military spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit the government resources that are needed to defend the country.
The unexpected resignation, accompanied with a scathing public letter, compounds the pressure on Starmer when he is facing a likely leadership challenge and exposes the crisis at the heart of government – how it can ramp up defence spending when there is no money to spare.
Britain’s defence and finance ministries have been locked in talks for months over how to meet rising demands to expand military spending, delaying Britain’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) which was expected to be published last year.
Military leaders have stressed the plan is needed to meet the rising threat level at a time of frequent Russian incursions into British waters, but the government is already struggling to reduce debt, with the overall tax burden at its highest level in decades.
The high-profile resignation comes as Starmer struggles to hold onto power after Wes Streeting resigned as health minister in May and as another challenger, Andy Burnham, attempts to return to frontline politics to launch a leadership bid.
“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey said in his letter to Starmer.