Starmer says he must ‘turn things around’ after defence secretary resignation
8 reported2 unconfirmed
Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged he must "turn things around" following the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey, who quit over a dispute about military spending. The row has prompted recriminations across Whitehall and concern from the US, with Downing Street and the Treasury trading blows with Healey's allies. Starmer, speaking to the BBC, promised to fight any leadership challenge and defended his decision to restrict funding on the defence investment plan. Healey accused Starmer of putting national security at risk and being unable to stand up to Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The US undersecretary of defence, Elbridge Colby, cited Healey's resignation letter and called for the UK to spend more on military strength. Starmer will face US President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders at a summit in France next week. The defence investment plan, due to be published Monday, has been delayed until close to the start of the Nato summit in Ankara in early July.
What’s reported
John Healey resigned as defence secretary, accusing Starmer of putting the country's security at risk.
No 10 and the Treasury offered to plug £13.5bn of an £18bn deficit in defence project spending.
Healey said Starmer only offered to increase defence spending to 2.68% of GDP by 2030, about £25bn below the Nato target of 3.5% by 2035.
US undersecretary of defence Elbridge Colby urged the UK to meet the need for more military strength "with urgency, scale, and determination."
Armed forces minister Al Carns also resigned late on Thursday, accusing the government of not spending enough on the military.
Dan Jarvis replaced Healey as defence secretary and visited a drone testing site in Swindon.
The defence investment plan publication was delayed from Monday until close to the Nato summit in Ankara in early July.
Starmer said he oversaw "the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the 1980s" and that other department budgets were trimmed by 1% to finance the spending plan.
Open questions
How the MoD went from stating the defence review was fully funded to reporting an £18bn shortfall.
Whether Starmer will face a formal leadership challenge from Andy Burnham or others.
Key figures
Keir Starmer, UK prime minister
John Healey, former defence secretary
Rachel Reeves, chancellor
Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary of defence
Dan Jarvis, new defence secretary
Al Carns, former armed forces minister
Andy Burnham, potential leadership challenger
Wes Streeting, former health secretary
Donald Trump, US president
Richard Knighton, chief of the defence staff
Matthew Savill, defence policy specialist at Royal United Services Institute
Sources: The Guardian
