Keir Starmer has insisted he has a “duty” to stay on as prime minister, hours after his defence secretary quit in a row over military spending that has plunged his leadership into crisis.
John Healey resigned on Thursday, accusing Starmer of being “unable” to commit the resources needed to keep the country safe. In a scathing resignation letter, Healey said the defence investment plan financial settlement, finalised on Monday, “falls way short of what is required”. He claimed he was being “forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations”.
“Starmer insists he has a 'duty' to stay as PM after defence secretary John Healey and minister Al Carns quit over spending.”
Hours later, armed forces minister Al Carns also resigned, writing that the current defence plan “is not built for the threat we face”. Carns, a former Royal Marine who has been tipped as a potential successor, said: “We need a new way of governing and we need it now.”
Pam Nash, a parliamentary private secretary at the Ministry of Defence, also quit around the same time, according to the New Statesman.
Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Starmer argued he had made “hard-edged” choices, including cutting overseas aid to boost defence spending. He said defence was his “number one priority” and pointed to the government’s commitment to increase spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
But Healey had wanted a target of 3% by 2030, and Carns accused the government of spending money on the wrong weapons. Starmer rejected Healey’s analysis, saying he was “grateful” for his work but insisting “whoever is prime minister is going to face the same prevailing winds”.
The crisis has fuelled speculation about a leadership challenge, with Andy Burnham increasingly expected to win next Thursday’s Makerfield byelection and return to Westminster. Asked if he would fight any challenge, Starmer said: “I’m not going to go away.” But he admitted: “I need to turn things around.”
Some Labour MPs are now urging the party to “skip a generation” and install Carns as prime minister, according to the i Paper. Carns has already made clear he will stand for the leadership if there is a contest.
Starmer appointed Dan Jarvis as the new defence secretary, and met him alongside chief of defence staff Richard Knighton to discuss the delayed defence investment plan. A No 10 spokesperson said work was “ongoing to finalise the Dip”.
The prime minister acknowledged he was in peril, saying: “I recognise that, given where we are, I need to turn that around and that’s what I intend to do.”