UK defence minister resigns with stinging rebuke of PM Starmer

British Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Treasury of failing to commit sufficient funds to protect the nation.

The resignation comes at a critical time for Starmer, a week before a by‑election that could trigger a leadership challenge.

In a sharp rebuke, Healey warned that Starmer’s long‑awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) – which has not yet been published – risked making Britain “less safe”.

“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 wrote in a resignation letter to Starmer posted on his X account.

“After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation.”

Healey’s departure follows months of delay in delivering the defence plan, which Starmer has said will be released before the NATO summit in Turkey that begins on July 7.

Starmer’s centre‑left government, elected in July 2024 after 14 years of Conservative rule, has pledged to increase defence spending, prioritising NATO commitments.

The move comes amid threats from Russia and after U.S. President Donald Trump has urged NATO allies to spend more and reduce reliance on Washington for security.

– ‘Grave moment’ –

Starmer has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP from next year, to three percent if Labour wins the next general election in 2029, and to 3.5 percent by 2035.

British media have reported for weeks on behind‑the‑scenes disputes within the government over the DIP settlement.

In his resignation letter, Healey said he first saw the full DIP on Monday and that it projects defence spending at only 2.68 percent of GDP in 2030.

He said this falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.

“Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.”

Tan Dhesi, chair of Parliament’s defence committee, said the government must take Healey’s warning “with the utmost seriousness”.

“That a defence secretary of his integrity and commitment has felt compelled to resign in response to the inadequacy of the proposed defence settlement is a grave moment,” the Labour MP said in a statement.

Starmer faces political risk in next Thursday’s contest when Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will stand for the Makerfield parliamentary seat and has said he would participate in any Labour leadership race, although none has yet been triggered.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit last month following disastrous local and regional election results for Labour and has also said he would run in any future contest.

Healey, 66, has been mentioned as a potential contender, but there was no immediate indication that his resignation is linked to leadership speculation.

The defence investment plan was originally expected to be published in late 2025 but its release has been repeatedly postponed, frustrating industry and others.

It was expected to be announced next week, according to reports earlier Thursday.

Healey’s resignation “creates a sequence of political headaches in terms of a replacement, and trying to get the defence investment plan published,” Ed Arnold, senior associate fellow at the RUSI think‑tank, told AFP.

A government source insisted that Starmer had made Britain “safer”, adding that the defence spending proposals “will deliver the capability our armed forces need”.

AFP

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