Is John Healey’s resignation a fatal blow for Keir Starmer?
6/11/202634 min
Around lunch time today, as The News Agents were battling their own excitement in the shape of a fire drill, the Defence Secretary suddenly resigned without warning. He left with a devastating critique of the Starmer government failures in his wake. The loyal and highly regarded Healey resigned out of frustration that promises made on defence spending weren’t being kept. And that the Prime Minister wouldn’t even set a date for the increases to happen. Has Starmer “failed to keep the country safe"? And a week out from the Makerfield by-election, is this the nail in the coffin for Starmer’s leadership?
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 0· Soundbite0:00
[upbeat jingle] This is a Global Player Original Podcast.
Jon Sopel· Host0:05
The most withering, excoriating resignation letter that you can imagine. That is a laser-guided missile that he has fired straight at Downing Street, and it's hit its target. John Healey has no ambitions to be the prime minister. He wanted to put the British Armed Forces on a solid footing with European armed forces. So when someone like him goes, you just think, "Oh my God, it must be rotten at the core."
Emily Maitlis· Host0:30
The whole timetable has massively expedited now. I mean, literally, I think it's like watching everything happen on fast-forward.
Jon Sopel· Host0:38
This day, well, might be seen as the moment where it all collapsed on Keir Starmer.
Speaker 0· Soundbite0:43
UK Defense Minister, uh, John Healey has resigned from his position. Uh, this is just, uh, reaching us, news, uh, from Westminster. Uh, the UK Defense Minister, John Healey, has resigned. Um, let's go to Deborah Haynes, um, and speak to our correspondent about this developing story, our defense and security, uh, editor. Um, Deborah, the first thing that comes to mind is the Defense Investment Plan, but what do you know?
Deborah Haynes1:10
I mean, he's, he's actually published, um, posted a letter on social media, his resignation letter, and I think that is, um, really what we should read, his, his own words. Obviously, an absolutely extraordinary development.
Jon Sopel· Host1:23
This has come out of the blue, the resignation of the Defense Secretary, John Healey, and the most withering,