British Defence Secretary John Healey sensationally quit on Thursday, accusing beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the finance ministry of failing to commit enough money to protect the country.
His shock resignation deals a fresh blow to Starmer and comes at a precarious moment for the embattled Labour leader, a week before a by-election which could prompt a bid to replace him.
In stinging criticism, Healey warned that Starmer’s long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade — which the premier has yet to publish — 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 sudden departure comes after months of delays to the defence plan, which Starmer has insisted he will publish before a NATO summit in Turkey beginning on July 7.
Starmer’s centre-left government, elected in July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule, has pledged to ramp up defence spending, with priority given to NATO commitments.
