UK defence chief steps down, accuses Starmer of making Britain 'less safe'

British Defence Secretary John Healey quit on Thursday, accusing beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the finance ministry of failing to commit enough money to protect the country.

His resignation weakens Starmer's authority at a precarious moment for the Labour leader, a week before a by-election that could prompt a bid to replace him.

In stinging criticism, Healey warned that Starmer's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade – which the leader has yet to publish – risked making Britain "less safe".

"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 wrote in a resignation letter to Starmer posted on his X account.

"After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation."

Hours later, Starmer wrote back to Healey saying his spending plans would allow the armed forces to transform and modernise, adding: "I will always do what is needed to keep our country safe."

The defence plan has been repeatedly delayed but Starmer has insisted he will publish it before a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7.

Starmer's centre-left government, elected in July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule, has pledged to raise spending and prioritise NATO, as the threat from Russia grows.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO allies to spend more and become less reliant on Washington for security.

'Grave moment'

Starmer has vowed to raise defence spending to 2.5 percent of economic output from next year, increasing to three percent if Labour wins the next general election, expected in 2029, before reaching 3.5 percent in 2035.

But media reports have suggested discontent behind the scenes over the specifics of the spending plan.

Healey said in his letter he was first given full sight of the DIP on Monday and it sees defence spending rise to only 2.68 percent of output in 2030.

A source close to the former defence secretary told AFP the deal offered by the finance ministry did not put a date on the three percent commitment.

The plan fell "well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time", Healey wrote.

Labour MP Tan Dhesi, chair of parliament's defence committee, said the government must take Healey's warning "with the utmost seriousness", calling his resignation "a grave moment".

Starmer faces political peril in next Thursday's contest when Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham stands for the Makerfield parliamentary seat.

Both men have said they would participate in any Labour leadership race, although none has yet been triggered.

Wes Streeting quit as health secretary last month following disastrous local and regional election results for Labour and has also said he would run in any future contest.

Healey has been talked about as another potential contender, but there was no immediate suggestion that his resignation is linked to the leadership speculation.

It "underlines that Starmer has become a lame duck prime minister who cannot get decisions through his own government", Patrick Diamond, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, told AFP.

The investment plan, originally due to be published in late 2025, has repeatedly been pushed back, to the frustration of industry and others.

Healey's resignation "creates a sequence of political headaches", starting with finding a new minister and then trying to get the investment plan published, said Ed Arnold, senior associate fellow at the RUSI think-tank.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)