DEFENCE SECRETARY HEALEY RESIGNS OVER INVESTMENT SHORTFALL

Defence Secretary John Healey resigned from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's government on 11 June, stating that the UK's defence investment plan "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time". Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned hours later, saying he could not "in good conscience stand at the dispatch box and defend a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task". In his response letter to Healey, Sir Keir stated the plan was backed with "the necessary investment" and expressed regret at the minister's departure.

Healey's resignation letter outlined government achievements including raising defence investment to 2.5 per cent of GDP three years ahead of schedule, launching what he described as the deepest defence reforms in 50 years, and securing major defence export deals. The government also gave Armed Forces personnel their largest pay rise in nearly 20 years, repaired over 1,200 military family homes, and signed defence agreements with Germany, Norway and France, according to Healey's account. Healey stated the government had commissioned a Strategic Defence Review to set a ten-year vision for transforming the Armed Forces and investing in military technology.

The resignations signal a breakdown between the government's stated defence ambitions and the funding allocated to achieve them. Healey and Carns both framed their departures as matters of principle regarding inadequate investment levels. The dispute centres on the Defence Investment Plan, which the government maintains is properly funded whilst the two departing ministers contended it falls short of operational requirements.