At lunchtime on Thursday, a Labour source sent a video message to a BBC journalist: a gif of a shadowy hand flicking over one domino, then another, then another, until hundreds came tumbling down. Half an hour earlier, John Healey had resigned as defence secretary. The implication was clear — could the now former defence secretary’s exit set off a chain of events that would bring down Sir Keir Starmer’s operation?
Healey’s resignation was a disaster for Downing Street on multiple fronts. One cabinet minister told the BBC everyone would be “shaken” by his departure. Another insider joked grimly: “It’s been a really hard week – stronger words could be used.” For a defence secretary to say publicly that the prime minister’s decisions were putting the country at risk “is about as bad as it gets”, said the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. Healey is about as loyal a Labour politician as exists; for him to quit was a brutal judgement. In his resignation letter, Healey carefully wrote that No 11 had been “unwilling” to find the money for defence, but No 10 had been “unable” to make it happen — a direct dig at Starmer’s authority.
“Defence secretary John Healey quits, accusing PM of putting UK at risk”
The UK’s military chief has also written to the prime minister, Sky News understands, amid concerns that an offer of around an extra £13bn to fund a major defence investment plan was not enough. How did the government get into this mess? As late as Wednesday night, Downing Street was still wondering whether to present the extra cash as £15bn, £13.5bn or £10bn. One source told the BBC: “The deal was so bad they didn’t know how to present it.”
Healey, 66, had been defence secretary since Labour came to power. In a profile published before his resignation, he said of the current conflicts: “These are the most dangerous and uncertain times we’ve faced for decades.” He insisted there would be “no repeat of the Iraq mistakes” and that British action must be “defensive”, coordinated with allies and legally sound. But his departure now leaves Starmer’s record on security — often cited by loyalists as the reason he must stay — exposed. Labour has already put the prime minister on notice, with dozens of MPs saying he should quit and at least two leadership contenders ready to go. As one former cabinet minister put it, Healey’s exit illustrates that “Keir has never got control of the Treasury, even though he’s meant to be in charge”. Now the dominoes are falling.