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U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly quit on Thursday, saying the government is unwilling to spend enough on the military at a time of \u201crising threats.\u201d The resignation dealt another blow to embattled\u00a0Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is already facing demands from Labour colleagues to step down.<\/p>\n
Healey told Starmer in a letter that the government\u2019s Defense Investment Plan falls \u201cwell short of what is required at this dangerous time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Publication of the plan has been delayed amid reports of disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Treasury.<\/p>\n
Starmer said in a letter to Healey that he was sorry to see him go, but insisted that the funding plan would provide the necessary military resources to keep the United Kingdom safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increases in spending that underpin this plan will be sustainable and fair,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cThey will mean significant reallocations of funding from across government departments and the right choices to protect our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer has pledged to boost U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and 3% by 2035. But many in the military say that isn\u2019t fast enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,\u201d Healey wrote in his resignation letter.<\/p>\n
He said that the spending plan put forward by the Treasury, and presented to him on Monday, would see defense spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year.<\/p>\n
Healey said that isn\u2019t enough with growing demands on defense and British military commitments, citing\u00a0the Iran war, Russia\u2019s all-out\u00a0invasion of Ukraine\u00a0and threats from Moscow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead a defense review that underpins the investment plan, said the government is \u201cactively going backwards\u201d by refusing to fund its own review.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt diminishes the U.K.\u2019s standing within NATO, weakens our credibility with allies, and increases our vulnerability to the realities of 21st-century conflict,\u201d he said. \u201cAllies and adversaries alike will be paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government said that it was delivering \u201cthe largest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Healey has been U.K. defense secretary since the Labour Party government was elected in July 2024, and he\u2019s regarded as a capable and serious minister.<\/p>\n
He has played a key role in bolstering international support for Ukraine and assembling a\u00a0multinational coalition\u00a0to help guarantee security if a ceasefire is reached. Healey also has helped spearhead a maritime security force that would help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping if the Iran war ends.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom and other NATO member nations have faced pressure from U.S. President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0to increase military spending. Trump has long\u00a0questioned the value\u00a0of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that don\u2019t pull their weight.<\/p>\n
The U.K. military is also seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which fully invaded its neighbor Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and increasingly tests the defenses of European nations with overt and covert activity.<\/p>\n
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, informed of Healey\u2019s resignation by The Associated Press during a news conference in Brussels, said that Healey is someone \u201cI respect very much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing all over the alliance is countries increasing their defense investments, and of course it is not easy, because in the end there is always a trade-off with other expenses, which are also important,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n
Healey\u2019s resignation is likely to further stoke talk that Starmer\u2019s days as prime minister are numbered. Already bruised by a series of missteps since Labour returned to power less than two years ago, Starmer has faced calls within his party\u2019s ranks to stand down.<\/p>\n
In a sign of his waning authority, Starmer appears to have been unable to bridge the gap between Healey\u2019s department and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves over defense spending.<\/p>\n
Olivia O\u2019Sullivan, head of the U.K. in the World program at the Chatham House think tank, said the resignation \u201csignificantly undermines Starmer,\u201d especially since the prime minister has had \u201ca relatively assured track record on defense and foreign affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greater Manchester Mayor\u00a0Andy Burnham\u00a0is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the leadership, if he returns to Parliament in a June 18 special election.<\/p>\n
Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline, said that Healey\u2019s resignation \u201cshould not have been allowed to occur in a well-run government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just further underlines a lack of control here, a lack of clarity, a lack of resolution, a gap between words and delivery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Mark Carlson in Brussels, and Pan Pylas and Brian Melley in London, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Trump #Europe #freeloads #defense #Britains #Defense #Secretary #agreed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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