Can Starmer survive the MoD exodus?
6/12/202616 min
A second defence minister has resigned in protest at Keir Starmer’s failure to fund Britain’s armed forces. Al Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, has followed John Healey out of the Ministry of Defence, warning that the government is letting down those in uniform – and taking aim at both the defence investment plan and Labour’s handling of Northern Ireland veterans.
Starmer has now appointed Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary, but the brief increasingly looks like a poisoned chalice. With the Strategic Defence Review still unfunded, ministers sent out to defend a plan they have not seen, and the Prime Minister heading to the G7 and Nato summit under pressure, has Starmer’s strongest claim to leadership – defence and foreign affairs – collapsed?
James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman.
Produced by Megan McElroy.
Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.
For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.
Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTim Shipman· Guest0:00
Given the state of the world today, it's unsurprising that the specter of inflation is never very far away. But if you have savings in cash, it's an ever-present threat. Alliance Witten, however, aims to give you returns that beat inflation. Dating back to 1888, the trust now manages around £5 billion in assets, and amazingly, has paid an increased dividend every single year for the last 59 years. So if you're looking to move beyond cash and into investing in stocks and shares, it's an ideal way to do so without leaving your comfort zone. Investment value may rise or fall. Dividend increase is not guaranteed.
Speaker 20:34
[chime] [phone ringing] Running a business means juggling a lot of moving parts, and when your communication tools can't keep up, things start to slip. Missed calls, slow replies, scattered conversations. They're not just frustrating, they're lost opportunities and revenue left on the table. That's where Quo comes in, spelled Q-U-O. Quo is the number one rated business phone system on G2, trusted by over 90,000 businesses. One shared business number for calls and texts, so every conversation stays visible, organized, and accountable. It works from an app or computer. You can keep your existing number, add teammates, and sync your CRM, letting you scale without adding complexity. And with built-in AI, Quo logs calls, summarizes conversations, and flags next steps even after hours. Stop missing customers. Stop leaving