UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigns, shaking Starmer government.

Your government is incompetent, and the Treasury is unwilling to allocate the resources the nation needs to defend itself in a period of rising threats, the letter from Healey to Starmer says.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned, dealing a serious blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. For months, ministers have been locked in tense disputes over how to fund defence investment plans.

The unexpected resignation, accompanied by a strongly critical open letter, increases pressure on Starmer as he faces potential leadership challenges within the party and exposes a deeper crisis at the heart of government: how to raise defence spending amid tight public finances, Reuters reports.

Without an investment plan that meets the current moment, I am forced to take decisions that will reduce the armed forces’ combat readiness, increase risks to personnel during operations, and could make the country less secure, the letter further states.

Healey sharply criticised the prime minister over long-delayed defence investment plans, warning they would leave the armed forces vulnerable and make the UK less secure.

The resignation comes as Starmer struggles to maintain control after Health Secretary Wes Streeting stepped down in May, while Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is reportedly preparing a potential leadership bid for the Labour Party.

The defence investment plan is intended to set funding for military equipment and services to ensure the armed forces are put on a war-fighting readiness footing. Starmer said the document will be published ahead of the NATO summit beginning on July 7.