Keir Starmer has vowed to fight any potential leadership contest “out of a very deep sense of duty” after the shock resignation of his defence secretary triggered a crisis that has shaken his government to its core.
The prime minister insisted he would not walk away, telling the BBC: “I don’t think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight. And let me just be clear with you. That’s not about personal vanity. It’s not about stubbornness. It’s out of a very deep sense of duty.”
“Keir Starmer vows to fight any leadership challenge after defence secretary John Healey resigns over funding row.”
The declaration came hours after John Healey quit as defence secretary on Thursday with a blistering resignation letter accusing Starmer of failing to stand up to the Treasury, which he claimed was unwilling to commit the funds needed to defend the nation. The resignation letter triggered a chain reaction: armed forces minister Al Carns, a former Royal Marine, also resigned, criticising “inadequate” defence funding. Pamela Nash, a ministerial aide in the department, and Rachel Hopkins, another aide, walked out the same night.
Ministers had been locked in a tense battle over how to fund the long-awaited defence investment plan (DIP), which is already more than six months late. Starmer has promised to deliver the plan by the NATO summit on July 7.
But the prime minister’s people skills are also under scrutiny. According to a New Statesman report, two senior people were recently fired abruptly by phone — and, humiliatingly, not by Starmer. In one case, the person asked to speak to the PM and was told: “That’s not an option.” The report said this kind of treatment has caused many senior Labour figures to become hostile.
Starmer admitted he needs to “turn things around” to stay prime minister and lead Labour into the next election, the Evening Standard reported. He has appointed Dan Jarvis as the new defence secretary, with Jarvis arriving in Downing Street to take the role.
Meanwhile, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he is not “blindly loyal” to Starmer, adding to the sense of a leader under pressure. The economy is also contracting amid war with Iran, heaping more pressure on the government.
With the national mood bleak and leadership change seen as near inevitable by many in the party, the question remains whether Starmer’s deep sense of duty will be enough to keep him in power.