Defence Sec resigns: 'Keir can't keep Britain safe'
6/11/202617 min
John Healey has resigned as Defence Secretary. In a blistering letter to the Prime Minister, he said: ‘You 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.’
This comes after Keir Starmer failed even to secure the derisory sum of money he had demanded from the Treasury and the cabinet to modernise Britain’s forces following the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review. The timing is equally devastating, as Starmer is heading to the G7 summit on Monday, where he will have to face Donald Trump.
So what does this mean for Starmer’s premiership? Will more resignations follow – or will the missiles turn on the Treasury and Rachel Reeves’s reluctance to cough up? And who will take on the poisoned chalice of the defence brief now?
Noa Hoffman speaks to Tim Shipman and James Heale.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTim Shipman· Panelist0:00
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 Whitman, however, aims to give you returns that beat inflation. Dating back to 1888, the trust now manages around five billion pounds in assets, and amazingly, has paid an increased dividend every single year for the last fifty-nine 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
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Noa Hoffman· Host1:04
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to Coffee House Shots. I'm Noah Hoffman, and I'm delighted to be joined by The Spectator's political editor, Tim Shipman, and deputy political editor, James Heil. It's been a huge day so far, and it's not even close to being over.