LATEST: Defence secretary resigns
6/11/202619 min
Defence Secretary John Healey resigned this afternoon, over the government’s much delayed defence funding plan. In a letter to the prime minister, Healey said Keir Starmer had been “unable” to commit resources that the UK desperately needs. So what does this mean for Starmer’s leadership? And will taxpayers ultimately be left to foot the bill?
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Guests:
- Anna Mikhailova, political editor, Times Radio.
- Larisa Brown, defence editor, The Times.
- General Sir John McColl, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Host: John Pienaar.
Producers: Angus Mitchell, Sofia Johanson.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: John Healey has launched a broadside at Keir Starmer. Will the PM surrender?
Further listening: Has Britain become ungovernable?
Photo: Getty Images.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMikaela Arneson0:00
[instrumental music] Hi, I'm Mikaela Arneson, and I'm a producer on The Story. Earlier this afternoon, Defense Secretary John Healey announced his resignation over the government's much-delayed defense investment plan. The plan was supposed to be published last autumn, but according to Keir Starmer, it will be released ahead of the NATO summit next month. Healey also revealed that the plan falls short of the government's commitment to raise defense spending to three percent of GDP by twenty-thirty. In this extra afternoon episode of The Story, we're handing over to our Times Radio colleague, John Pienaar, for the latest.
John Pienaar· Host0:47
John Healey's sudden resignation came as a shock, yet somehow without being a particular surprise. It has dealt a massive blow to the already battered authority of the Prime Minister and left Keir Starmer badly weakened to the extent that that's even possible. It's also left the Chancellor Rachel Reeves badly hurt, very badly hurt. Many times now, we've heard the Prime Minister saying the protection of Britain counts as his highest duty. Today, John Healey quit the cabinet over what he's publicly denounced as a defense funding plan that, and I'm quoting from Healey's resignation letter, "Reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations and could make the country less