Al Carns, the former armed forces minister who quit in a row over defence spending, said the prime minister needed to make “bold and courageous” decisions to fund the military, as Downing Street faced a growing crisis over its long-delayed investment plan.
Carns resigned a day after John Healey stepped down as defence secretary, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of being “unable” to spend enough to keep the country safe. Speaking to the BBC in his first interview since leaving government, Carns said he did not believe enough money had been provided and that the defence investment plan (DIP), yet to be published, “lacked innovation” and was “looking at how to fight the last war not the next one”.
“Al Carns resigns as armed forces minister, saying PM must be 'bold' on defence, after John Healey also quit.”
He warned that the military could find itself in a difficult position “in the next two to three years should we be tested”, predicting a “geographically constrained contest … that will probably involve us, our allies or our partners”. Carns, a former Royal Marines officer, also told Channel 4 News that a shadow fleet operation had “saved thousands of lives in Ukraine”.
Healey’s resignation letter revealed he had been promised financial leeway but that Starmer was unable to control an “unwilling Treasury”, according to the New Statesman. The former defence secretary had pushed through a Defence Reform programme aimed at making senior individuals accountable for real-world outcomes, but it was thwarted by “institutional inertia”, the magazine reported.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said he was “sad” to see Healey go but expressed “faith” in the prime minister and chancellor to fund and deliver a defence plan. Asked if he believed Starmer would still be leader by the next election, Kyle did not directly answer but said: “This is a prime minister with a purpose. I am proud to be delivering that purpose with him.”
The resignations further weaken Starmer, who has faced questions about his leadership after poor local election results in May. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, if he wins the by-election in Makerfield, is widely expected to challenge for the leadership.
The prime minister now must decide whether to rewrite the DIP in light of the criticism or stick by his pledge to publish it ahead of the Nato summit next month. Dan Jarvis, the security minister and a former British Army officer, has been appointed to replace Healey and will take responsibility for delivering the plan, initially expected last autumn, which will set out how new equipment and infrastructure will be funded over the next decade.