Defence Secretary Resigns Over Government Spending Plans

The defence secretary, John Healey, has resigned over the government’s defence spending plans.

The long-awaited defence investment plan (DIP) was expected to be published imminently, but in a letter to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, Healey said it fell “well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.

In his resignation letter, Healey wrote that the need for further investment in defence was clear and that work on how much it would cost had been completed in January.

He wrote: “Since then, 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 said he had seen the final defence settlement only on Monday afternoon, and it fell “well short” of what was needed.

He said the extra support was “backloaded”, when “the pressure of operations and imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years, and it rises to just 2.68% of GDP in 2030, when we will reach 2.6% next year with the investment we are already making”.

He said Starmer had warned that Nato would face an attack by Russia by 2030, and so was aware “what defence needs”.

Healey wrote: “You made the argument for this powerfully in your speech at the Munich security conference back in February. Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.”

“After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our forces the resources they need, l am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defence secretary.”