UK Government in Defence Funding Talks After Ministerial Resignations

Discussions are "ongoing" within the government about defence funding, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said, days after John Healey resigned as defence secretary in a row over spending.

On Thursday Healey, and one of his junior ministers Al Carns, quit over concerns that not enough money had been assigned to the government's long-awaited defence investment plan.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Nandy rejected suggestions the prime minister had been forced to re-examine the plan's funding in the light of the resignations.

She said the prime minister had been clear that the first responsibility of any government was defence and and they had to "meet this moment".

"We are looking very carefully at how we achieve it. These conversations are not finished, this negotiation is happening as we speak."

The culture secretary said she was talking to officials in her own department about making funding available to put into defence.

She also said the new defence secretary Dan Jarvis was looking at the plan "in current draft form and having those discussions with the chancellor and the prime minister as well".

Allies of Healey told the BBC "more money is coming, but only as a result of Healey resigning… this is another unbelievable U-turn".

The defence investment plan, which sets out how new military equipment and infrastructure will be paid for over the next decade, was due last autumn but has been repeatedly delayed.

Downing Street has said it will still be published before the Nato summit next month, but it is not expected in the coming week.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Jarvis said he had a responsibility to ensure the armed forces got the equipment and funding they needed.

He said: "That is the challenge that we have at a point of constrained fiscal resource, and I will be working with my colleagues across government to make sure that we're in a position to do that."

The former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the country had to have "a really honest, open and courageous debate about where the money is going now".

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said his party was willing to work with the government to find the money to fund defence.

In his resignation letter, Healey accused Starmer of failing to provide the money required to "defend the country at a time of rising threats".

The government has committed to increasing defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.

Healey suggested the current defence investment plan proposed increasing defence spending to 2.68% of national income by 2030. He argued that the UK should be hitting 3% by that date.

Healey said the government was only willing to stump an extra £10bn in additional funding, which he described as well short of what was needed.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "We've seen two defence ministers resign, because the prime minister isn't able to sort of take a decision, to work across his government, to work with the Treasury.