LONDON — U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly resigned Thursday, saying the government is unwilling to spend enough on the military at a time of "rising threats."
The resignation dealt another blow to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is already facing demands from Labour colleagues to step down, and came as publication of the Defense Investment Plan was delayed amid reports of disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Treasury.
Healey told Starmer in a letter that the government’s Defense Investment Plan falls "well short of what is required at this dangerous time." He wrote that the spending plan presented by the Treasury would see defense spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year, and said, "I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation."
Several hours later Al Carns, a decorated war veteran who served as a prominent junior minister in the defense ministry, also resigned, saying he could not defend "a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task." Carns has been suggested as a possible contender in an anticipated contest to challenge Starmer’s leadership.
Starmer said in a letter to Healey that he was sorry to see him go but insisted the funding plan would provide "sustainable and fair" spending increases that would keep the U.K. safe, and late Thursday appointed Dan Jarvis, formerly the security minister, to the defense secretary post.
Starmer has pledged to boost U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and 3% by 2035, but many in the military say that isn’t fast enough.
Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead a defense review that underpins the investment plan, said the government is "actively going backwards" by refusing to fund its own review and that the decision "diminishes the U.K.'s standing within NATO, weakens our credibility with allies, and increases our vulnerability to the realities of 21st-century conflict." He added, "Allies and adversaries alike will be paying attention."
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said, "Healey is someone 'I respect very much,'" and warned that while countries across the alliance are increasing defense investments, "in the end there is always a trade-off with other expenses, which are also important." The government said it was delivering "the largest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War" and added, "This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest."
Healey has been U.K. defense secretary since the Labour Party government was elected in July 2024 and is regarded as a capable and serious minister who helped bolster international support for Ukraine, assembled a multinational coalition intended to help guarantee security if a ceasefire is reached, and helped spearhead a maritime security force to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping if the Iran war ends.
Healey's resignation is likely to further stoke talk that Starmer's days as prime minister are numbered; party figures have called on him to stand down and he appears to have been unable to bridge the gap between Healey’s department and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves. Olivia O'Sullivan of Chatham House said the resignation "significantly undermines Starmer." Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the leadership if he returns to Parliament in a June 18 special election. Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline, said Healey's resignation "should not have been allowed to occur in a well-run government" and that it "further underlines a lack of control here, a lack of clarity, a lack of resolution, a gap between words and delivery."