British defence minister John Healey quits over defence spending

British defence minister John Healey resigned on Thursday citing a dispute over military spending and accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to ‌commit the government ⁠resources ⁠that are needed to defend the country.

The United Kingdom's defence and finance ministries have been engaged in talks for months over how to meet rising demands to ⁠expand military spending, ‌delaying Britain's Defence Investment Plan since last year.

"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 said in ‌his resignation letter to Starmer.


The delay of the country's defence plans has infuriated the industry which says it cannot ⁠invest in long-term programmes for the country's security at a time of huge geopolitical volatility and as the United States pivots away from protecting Europe.

British defence minister Healey, who highlighted his government's record on defence in the letter, said the Labour administration had moved quickly to strengthen Britain's military posture since taking office. He pointed to increased support for Ukraine, a higher defence spending target of 2.5% of GDP brought forward by three years, sweeping reforms of the armed forces, major defence export agreements and a strategic defence review aimed at preparing the country for a more dangerous security environment.

Healey said the government had entered office recognising that Britain faced a "new era of threat" that required a transformation of its armed forces, stronger alliances and greater investment in emerging military technologies. The strategic review commissioned by the government had set out a decade-long plan to modernise the military and bolster domestic defence manufacturing, he noted.

However, Healey argued that the government's proposed Defence Investment Plan failed to match the scale of the challenge. He said a review completed earlier this year had confirmed rising demands on defence, but ministers had been unable to secure the level of funding needed to address growing threats and meet Britain's commitments to allies.

He further noted that pressures on the military had intensified in recent months due to developments in the Middle East, increased security responsibilities in the Arctic, growing Russian activity around NATO countries and Britain's commitments to Ukraine. These developments, he argued, required faster investment to improve military readiness and operational capability.

Healey reiterated his long-standing position that Britain should commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, saying such a target would enjoy broad political backing and reflect the steps being taken by other European allies to strengthen their militaries.

In the letter, he criticised the proposed funding settlement for delaying much of the additional spending until later years, despite what he described as immediate operational pressures. According to Healey, the plan would raise defence spending to only 2.68% of GDP by 2030, only marginally above levels already expected to be reached through existing commitments.

Referring to Starmer's recent warning that intelligence assessments suggest Russia could be capable of attacking NATO by the end of the decade, Healey said the current funding package would force him to consider measures that could reduce military readiness, increase risks to service personnel and ultimately leave Britain less secure.

Concluding the letter, Healey said he could not support a defence settlement that, in his view, failed to provide the armed forces with the resources required to meet current and future threats, and therefore had no option but to resign.