ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston and Political Correspondent Harry Horton report on the shock resignations delivering devastating blows for the prime minister
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has become the latest to resign from government following Defence Secretary John Healey’s exit early on Thursday.
Healey’s surprise resignation came after a row with the prime minister over military spending, in which he accused Keir Starmer of making the country “less safe”.
In his own letter to Starmer, Carns pointed to the delayed Defence Investment Plan (Dip), branding it “neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded”.
“I have run out of room to argue this case honourably from inside the government.
“A serving minister cannot ask fellow veterans to trust a process he no longer trusts himself.”
Turning his ire on the system of government more broadly, though not explicitly naming Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, Carns claimed: “The machinery of government itself has been left to decay.
“If my resignation accelerates the transition towards resolution, then the impact will far outweigh the act. We need a new way of governing, and we need it now.”
He concluded: “The deal this country makes with the people who serve it, in uniform, in classrooms, on building sites, is broken. I’m going to spend my time on the backbenches trying to fix it.”
Earlier on Thursday, Healey wrote to Starmer to resign from the position with “great regret and reluctance”, citing disagreements about defence spending ahead of the release of the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Healey posted his letter to the prime minister on social media, which read: “This new era for defence required further investment through the Defence Investment Plan.
“The excellent and extensive cross-government work that was completed in January – overseen by you, me and the Chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defence”.
He added that “demands on defence have increased still further”, pointing to the Iran war, threats from Russia in the High North, and escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
Healey said the prime minister has “been unable… to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country” and that he has “no other option” but to resign.
He added: “I am being forced to make a decision that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.”
Responding to Healey, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, thanked the former defence secretary for his work, but insisted the DIP went far enough to meet the moment
Starmer said delivering the DIP would require “significant reallocations of funding from across government departments.”
Criticising the state of defence inherited from the previous Tory government, Starmer finished: “I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises. I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward.”
Healey’s resignation was shortly followed by that of his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Pamela Nash.
A former government minister close to Healey has said: “John is one of the most principled MPs I know – this is a matter of principle for him.
“Country before party. He has demonstrated that again today”.
The DIP was expected to be published just ahead of the Nato summit on July 7.
A government source said: “This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest.
“It is this Labour government and this Labour Prime Minister that is delivering the largest sustained boost to defence spending since the Cold War.”
They went on to say that the DIP will “deliver the capability our armed forces need” and that the government “will always do what is right, and needed, to keep the country safe”.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told ITV News that she “is really sorry” that Healey has resigned, calling him a “fantastic defence secretary”.
She went on to say: “This Labour government is delivering the biggest increase in funding to our armed forces since the Cold War”.
Phillipson added: “The number one priority for any government is to keep people safe”.
Healey was reportedly only offered £10 billion extra for the Ministry of Defence but he told the PM it would not be enough to keep the country safe.
On Wednesday, Healey was meeting with Australian counterparts to step up “cooperation” on defence including “sharing vital intelligence” and developing new technologies.
Labour MP and Chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tan Dhesi said Healey’s resignation “is a grave moment” and said the government “must take that warning with the utmost seriousness” and called for a “fully funded” plan.
He added that Healey “has been a serious, committed and respected Defence Secretary” and thanked him for his work.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said on social media that Healey “is a man of deep principle” and praised him as “outstanding”.
He added, “I’m saddened that he felt he had no choice but to leave government”.
Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch responded saying she was “not surprised” and said the resignation was “honourable”.
Badenoch went on to say that “Keir Starmer’s premiership is falling apart” and added, “I don’t see how he can stay in this job.”
During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer was pressed on defence spending by Badenoch, who accused the PM of spending on welfare instead of national security.
Malcolm Rifkind, former defence secretary under John Major, told ITV News that this resignation “is a very pivotal change in our public life”.
He said that the timing could not be worse for Starmer and that the suggested settlement increase is a “totally ridiculous way of resolving a major international crisis”.
Rifkind went on to suggest that cuts to other budgets will not be enough and that the public would likely accept a small tax hike.
Healey is the fourth Cabinet minister to leave Starmer’s government since coming to power – and the second to resign over policy differences after Wes Streeting quit as health secretary last month amid the fallout from Labour’s local election losses.
Streeting responded on X calling Healey an “excellent defence secretary” and that the warnings in his resignation letter “needs to be heeded”.
Armed Forces minister Al Carns told Times Radio that the DIP “is not fit for purpose” and said that Starmer has “got to sort this out”.
Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO has responded at a conference saying he respects Healey very much and that “what we are seeing all over the alliance is defence spending stepping up”.
He added: “The core task of every government in the end is keeping the country safe”.
Labour Peer and former head of the Navy, Alan West has compared the government to a sinking ship and said that the defence settlement is a “terrible error for our nation”.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has taken a different approach, saying “we do not need to spend more money on bombs and bullets”.
Instead, Corbyn suggests that “real security” comes from increased spending on housing, schools and the NHS.
Subscribe for free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
His resignation has brought praise from opposition MPs, with the shadow defence secretary saying Healey had shown “integrity” by resigning and told the prime minister he was “paying the price” for underfunding the armed forces.
In a video posted to social media, James Cartlidge said: “Whatever our political differences, I have always admired John Healey’s integrity and he’s shown that in this action.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called the resignation “a wake-up call for Starmer and Burnham” and said that Labour need to “get serious about funding our armed forces properly”.
Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, wrote on X, “Labour has no serious plan to address threats we face”.
He said: “We must be very wary of lining the pockets of arms companies with a limitless spending bill.
“Real security means traditional defence, yes. But also resilient public services, a world-class health service.”
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick said “good on John Healey” and criticised the government’s spending priorities.
From Westminster to Washington DC – our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below…
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
