UK Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned from his post, announcing his departure in a letter published on Thursday amid an escalating dispute over Britain’s future military spending plans.
The unexpected resignation adds fresh political pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has recently faced mounting internal tensions within the Labour Party alongside broader criticism over government performance.
For months, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury had been locked in negotiations over the pace and scale of planned increases in defence spending, as Britain seeks to balance fiscal constraints and weak growth projections against NATO commitments to boost military expenditure.
NATO has set an updated target for member states to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, reflecting heightened security concerns linked to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and renewed US pressure for greater European defence contributions, dw.com reports.
In his resignation letter, Healey warned that the proposed spending trajectory would leave increases by 2030 minimal compared with previously guaranteed budgets, cautioning that underfunding could reduce military readiness and increase risks to personnel on operations.
He directly criticised the Treasury’s position, stating that despite the growing demands on defence, the government had been unable to commit sufficient resources to meet national security needs at a time of rising global threats.
The resignation comes as Starmer continues to navigate political turbulence following a series of local election setbacks and internal party disagreements, with several senior Labour figures openly criticising recent policy decisions and leadership direction.
While previous challenges from within the party have not materialised into a formal leadership contest, speculation continues around potential rivals, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is expected to seek a parliamentary seat in an upcoming by-election.
Healey, in a conciliatory closing remark, wished the Prime Minister strength in facing “exceptional challenges,” adding that the Labour Government would continue to have his full support.
