London
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a fresh blow on Thursday after Secretary of Defense John Healey resigned over a budget dispute, saying the government is not willing to give the British Armed Forces the “resources they need.”
Soon after, Minister of State for the Armed Forces Al Carns also announced his resignation in a letter posted to X, saying that the government is “failing” to give the armed forces what they need to do the job and the “loyalty to stand by them when it’s done.”
Starmer, whose government’s popularity has collapsed just two years after a landslide general election victory, has been under pressure recently from within his own party.
In his letter addressed to the prime minister and shared on the social media platform X, Healey said the amount of money allocated to defense “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.”
Carns said in his own letter addressed to Starmer that the “character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement can keep up with.”
“We are asking our Armed Forces to operate in a more dangerous world on a budget written for a calmer one,” said the former Royal Marine.
Downing Street announced later on Thursday that Security Minister Dan Jarvis has been appointed as Secretary of State for Defense.
The resignations come ahead of the government’s announcement on how it will fund a much-needed overhaul of Britain’s defenses, expected before a NATO summit next week. Publication of those plans has been postponed multiple times amid deep disagreements within the government.
Starmer doubled down on his government’s position in a letter to Healy published Thursday, saying “I am proud of our record on funding.”
He pointed to the UK government’s efforts on leading the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine, support for Gulf allies and working on a plan for the Strait of Hormuz.
“When we entered government in 2024, I took the decision to increase defense spending after the Conservatives hollowed out our armed forces. That required a cut to the international aid budget but the result was the highest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War,” the prime minister said.
“I will always do what is needed to keep our country safe,” Starmer added. “I thank you for your work to deliver on all of this.”
Starmer said the government’s Defence Investment Plan helps increase defense spending in a “sustainable way” by providing the military with resources while also making sure that “the money spent is spent wisely and used to back jobs and growth here in Britain.”
He said the increased spending associated with the plan would mean “significant reallocations of funding” across government departments.
“Taking these decisions is never easy,” the UK prime minister said in the letter. “I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises. I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward.”
Like other NATO members, the UK is under pressure to increase defense spending to prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia. Healey reminded Starmer in his letter that just last week, the prime minister said that British intelligence assessments indicate Russia could be ready to attack NATO countries as soon as 2030.
“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 his letter, referring to the commitment made by Starmer to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 20235.
The loss of Healey and Carns is worrying news for Starmer, who was already fighting to keep his job. Many in his governing Labour Party have called for him to quit following disastrous results in last month’s local elections.
While no formal leadership bid has been launched, this could change after next week’s key by-election in Makerfield, northwest England, in which Starmer’s arch-rival, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is running. Should he win that, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer.
