John Healey resigned as defence secretary on Friday, saying the government's defence investment plan is “well short of what is required” – a blunt verdict that exposes deep tensions over how to keep Britain safe in an era of war on two fronts.
Healey, who had been averaging fewer than five hours of sleep a night since the war in Iran began, woke at 3am on 2 March to give the go-ahead for family members and non-essential personnel to be moved away from the British military base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after a drone strike. “These are the most dangerous and uncertain times we’ve faced for decades,” he said in a phone call after updating the House of Commons on the situation with Iran. “Not since the end of the Second World War have we seen such heightened threats.”
“John Healey resigns as defence secretary, saying UK's defence investment plan is 'well short of what is required'.”
The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, acknowledged the gravity in his reply to Healey’s resignation, writing: “The world today is more dangerous and uncertain than at any point in our lifetimes.” The UK currently spends about £66bn on defence, equivalent to 2.3% of GDP. Labour has promised to raise that to 2.5% by next year and then, alongside Nato allies, to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. At the Munich security conference in February, Starmer pledged: “We are going to have to spend more faster.”
But Healey and the former armed forces minister Al Carns say the sums are not enough – a view shared by top brass at the Ministry of Defence and senior military figures, making the department extremely difficult to govern. The row comes as the United States has made clear it will no longer subsidise European defence, demanding allies finally meet Nato spending targets. Meanwhile the nature of warfare is shifting: less need for traditional armour and ships, more focus on drones, cyber, space and the mass production of cheap, lethal projectiles adapted in real time.
Into this nightmare steps Dan Jarvis, the former paratrooper and ex-South Yorkshire mayor who has long seemed destined for the role. Colleagues describe him as “as centrist as a person can be” and a “straight shooter” who accepted the job out of a sense of duty – even though he may last only a few weeks. One MP who knows him well said he would “no doubt” be hoping that a successor to Starmer would keep him on. Jarvis will face his first test at next week’s Nato meetings, where he must defend the UK’s plans to be ready for war knowing that many experts think No 10 and the Treasury have not provided an adequate settlement.
Healey had insisted Britain must avoid being dragged into another Middle Eastern war. “There’ll be no repeat of the Iraq mistakes,” he said forcefully, setting out principles that British action must be defensive, coordinated with allies, and have a sound legal basis. Whether Jarvis can hold that line – and convince the Treasury to release more money – remains an open question as the clock ticks on a long-delayed investment plan.