UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a fresh blow on Thursday after Secretary of Defense John Healey resigned over a budget dispute, saying the government is not willing to give the British Armed Forces the “resources they need.”
Starmer, whose government’s popularity has collapsed just two years after a landslide general election victory, has been under pressure recently from within his own party.
In a letter addressed to the prime minister and shared on the social media platform X, Healey said the amount of money allocated to defense “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.”
Healey’s resignation comes ahead of the government’s announcement on how it will fund a much-needed overhaul of Britain’s defenses, expected before a NATO summit next week. Publication of those plans has been postponed multiple times amid deep disagreements within the government.
Like other NATO members, the UK is under pressure to increase defense spending to prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia. Healey reminded Starmer in his letter that just last week, the prime minister said that British intelligence assessments indicate Russia could be ready to attack NATO countries as soon as 2030.
“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,” Healey wrote in his letter, referring to the commitment made by Starmer to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 20235.
The loss of another Cabinet member is worrying news for Starmer, who was already fighting to keep his job. Many in his governing Labour Party have called for him to quit following disastrous results in last month’s local elections.
While no formal leadership bid has been launched, this could change after next week’s key by-election in Makerfield, northwest England, in which Starmer’s arch-rival, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is running. Should he win that, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer.
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