Defence secretary John Healey resigns over military spending plans

The Defence secretary John Healey has resigned from Keir Starmer’s government over the prime minister’s military spending plans.

In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Healey said that the Rachel Reeves and the Treasury had been “unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”. 

Healey said that Starmer had proven himself “unable” to overrule Reeves. 

His resignation from the cabinet comes as the government had aimed to publish its delayed Defence Investment Plan today.

The plan was originally supposed to be published last autumn, and is now due to be released ahead of a Nato summit early next month.

The ex-Defence secretary said that the DIP he was shown on Monday afternoon “falls well short of what is required for defense and the country at this dangerous time”.  

Commenting on Healey’s resignation, the general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, said: “What is going on in regard to yet another delay on the DIP is fast becoming a national disgrace. Make no mistake jobs and skills are at risk. 

“John Healey’s resignation letter has laid bare the utter chaos at the heart of government on this issue. Defending the UK and investing in our defence industry simply can’t be done on the cheap. British defence needs investment. Failure to protect UK defence jobs would be a national betrayal.”

Neal Lawson, Director of Compass, said: “Keir Starmer’s inability to keep the faith of talented loyalists such as John Healey is the clearest indication yet that his days as PM are numbered. But this is what happens when you had no strategy or vision for how you wanted to run the country and no team management when you actually got in there.

“For the sake of the nation, this Labour Government needs a full reset – and that starts at the top.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward