At lunchtime on Thursday, a Labour source sent a video message: a gif of a shadowy hand flicking over one domino, then another, then another. Half an hour after the shock resignation of John Healey as defence secretary, the implication was clear. Could this set off a chain reaction that would bring down Keir Starmer?
Healey’s exit was a disaster for Downing Street. One cabinet minister told the BBC everyone would be “shaken” by his departure. Another insider grimaced: “It’s been a really hard week – stronger words could be used.” Healey’s resignation letter was pointed: No 11 had been “unwilling” to find money for defence, but No 10 had been “unable” to make it happen – a direct dig at Starmer’s authority. “For the defence secretary to say publicly that the prime minister’s decisions were putting the country at risk is about as bad as it gets,” wrote Laura Kuenssberg.
“John Healey and Al Carns quit over defence spending, as PM faces leadership challenge and Japan deal worth £18bn.”
Within hours, armed forces minister Al Carns also quit, telling the BBC the prime minister needed “bold and courageous” decisions on defence funding. He said the long-delayed defence investment plan “lacked innovation, lessons learnt from Ukraine” and would leave the military vulnerable. “In the next two to three years should we be tested, we could find ourselves in a difficult position,” Carns warned. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said he was “sad” to see Healey go but had “faith” in the PM. Asked if Starmer would still be leader by the next election, Kyle did not directly answer.
The resignations come as the UK’s military chief has written to the prime minister expressing concern that an offer of around an extra £13bn for defence is not enough, Sky News understands. Meanwhile, speculation mounts that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, tipped as a leadership challenger, could stand in the Makerfield by-election. And Al Carns, now a potential contender himself, is being helped in his Downing Street bid by Paul Cadman, an ex-nightclub bouncer jailed for five years for a £1m apprenticeship fraud in 2005, the Daily Mail reports.
Starmer will welcome Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to Downing Street on Sunday ahead of the G7 summit, announcing an £18bn investment deal including a £9bn offshore wind project and deeper Rolls-Royce collaboration with Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency. The prime minister said the agreements would “bring multibillion-pound investment into the UK, creating tens of thousands of new jobs”. But the timing offers little respite. Healey, who in March told the New Statesman that “these are the most dangerous and uncertain times we’ve faced for decades” and vowed “no repeat of the Iraq mistakes”, has now delivered a devastating verdict on Starmer’s leadership. Security minister Dan Jarvis, a former British Army officer, has been appointed to replace Healey, but the question remains: can Starmer survive the domino effect?