Key facts
- Defence Secretary John Healey resigned due to disputes with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over military funding.
- Healey stated the Treasury was "unwilling" and the government "unable" to commit the necessary defence resources.
- Healey described the proposed Defence Investment Plan as insufficient for current threats.
- The proposed plan aimed to increase UK defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
- Healey's resignation comes less than a month before a NATO summit and amid rising global threats.
Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday, citing significant disagreements with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the government's commitment to military spending. Healey stated that the Treasury was "unwilling" and the government "unable" to provide the necessary resources for defence, describing the proposed Defence Investment Plan (Dip) as falling "well short of what is required."
The resignation comes less than a month before a NATO summit and amid escalating global threats, including Donald Trump's threats to bomb Iran. Healey's letter to Starmer emphasized that the proposed financial settlement would have left no time to meet the NATO target of increasing defence spending from 2.6% of GDP to 3.5% by 2035, a commitment Starmer made a year prior.
Sources indicate months of wrangling between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury. Starmer's offer of an additional £2bn (0.08% of GDP) by 2030 was deemed insufficient by Healey, especially given Starmer's public promises to NATO, Trump, and allies regarding defence commitments. The Treasury reportedly wanted the MoD to plan for 3% of GDP spending after an election, rather than the 3.5% target for 2035.
Healey also noted that the proposed plan would have breached the Prime Minister's commitment to NATO. Downing Street's attempt to expedite the release of the investment plan on Thursday was reportedly met with Healey's refusal. The situation was further complicated by the cancellation of a media event with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, intended to discuss the Aukus submarine program, at a time when the UK's ability to fulfill its part of the program is under scrutiny.
John Foreman, a former UK defence attache to Moscow, highlighted the poor timing of the resignation, occurring just before the NATO summit and with Japan's Prime Minister scheduled to visit. The UK's commitment to joint defence projects like the GCap fighter jet program with Italy and Japan is also in question. The MoD has struggled with costed defence equipment plans since 2022, facing a 'black hole' of £16.9bn, which later reduced to £18bn, with the Treasury only willing to fund £13.5bn of it.