UK defence chief John Healey resigns amid feud with Starmer over military spending
British Defence Minister John Healey quit on Thursday in a dispute over military spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit the government resources that are needed to defend the country.
Britain’s defence and finance ministries have been locked in talks for months over how to meet rising demands to expand military spending, delaying Britain’s Defence Investment Plan since last year.
“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 in his letter to Starmer.
The delay has infuriated Britain’s defence industry, which says it cannot invest in long-term programmes for the country’s security at a time of huge geopolitical volatility and as the United States pivots away from protecting Europe.