Armed Forces minister Al Carns has resigned from the Cabinet, in a fresh hammer blow to Sir Keir Starmer - just hours after defence secretary John Healey quit in protest at the government’s defence spending plan.
In his resignation letter, Mr Carns said that the defence investment plan (DIP) was “neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded”.
Sir Keir had issued a defence of the spending plan, after Mr Healey quit, warning the prime minister that the DIP “falls well short of what is required”. Mr Healey accused the prime minister and the chancellor of having been “unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats".
Downing Street appointed Dan Jarvis to replace Mr Healey.
Mr Healey’s parliamentary private secretary, MP Pamela Nash, also resigned on Thursday night.
The shock resignations come just weeks after former health secretary Wes Streeting quit, marking further questions over Sir Keir’s ability to cling on to his position.
Tensions have been mounting in the cabinet over the publication of the long-delayed plan, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade.
Read MoreJohn Healey’s resignation is the beginning of the end for Starmer
All the politicians who have left Keir Starmer’s government since 2024 election
Key Points
- Al Carns resigns as armed forces minister in another blow to Starmer
- John Healey’s resignation letter in full
- Dan Jarvis appointed new defence secretary
- PM insists a key defence funding plan will 'provide military resources it needs'
- Pamela Nash resigns as PPS to John Healey
- Analysis: John Healey’s resignation is the beginning of the end for Starmer
- Why is John Healey so angry about Britain's defence spending?
'We will give our armed forces the capabilities they need,' Starmer pledges
21:41 , Jane DaltonAs he appointed Dan Jarvis to replace John Healey, the prime minister said: “My first duty is to keep the British people safe, and I will always do what is necessary to protect our national security.
“I am pleased to appoint Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary as we strengthen our armed forces and meet the growing threats facing our country.
“This Labour government is delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
“In a dangerous and volatile world, we will give our armed forces the capabilities they need to defend Britain and keep our nation secure.”
Day of drama in government: A timeline
21:35 , Jane Dalton12.09pm: John Healey resigns as defence secretary, telling the prime minister the financial settlement for defence plan fell “well short of what is required”, with extra support coming after 2030 when the “imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years”
6.35pm: Sir Keir Starmer issues a strong defence of his spending plans, telling Mr Healey Labour had implemented the highest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, adding: “You are also right that we have to go further. The defence investment plan does just that.”
7.44pm: Pamela Nash, Mr Healey’s parliamentary private secretary, resigns, describing the “delays and difficulties” that had dogged the Defence Investment Plan as “the latest issue that is damaging to the trust of the public in us”
8.22pm: Al Carns resigns as a defence minister, saying he could not defend “a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task”
9.07pm: Dan Jarvis appointed new defence secretary
Analysis: Starmer faces end game as Healey and Carns resign
21:22 , Jane Dalton
Starmer in fresh crisis as Healey quits with attack on PM’s plan to protect UK
Jarvis was tipped to replace Healey
21:11 , Jane DaltonThe Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin earlier tipped Dan Jarvis as a successor to John Healey:
Who could replace John Healey as defence secretary?
Dan Jarvis is new defence secretary
21:07 , Jane DaltonBreaking news: Dan Jarvis has been appointed Defence Secretary, Downing Street has announced.
Carns slates 'budget written for calmer world'
21:00 , Jane DaltonLabour MP Al Carns, who has been touted as a possible future leadership candidate, told Sir Keir Starmer as he resigned: “While I had no hand in the defence investment plan, that distance does allow me to say plainly that it is not built for the threat we face.
“It is neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded. We are asking our armed forces to operate in a more dangerous world on a budget written for a calmer one.”
Change I pushed for won't come, says Carns as he quits
20:57 , Jane DaltonIn his letter to the prime minister standing down as defence minister, Mr Carns said it had become clear that the spending he had wanted would not come.
He wrote: “It has been the privilege of my life to serve this country, first in uniform and then in government.
“I have said that there are issues facing this department that do not lend themselves to easy answers, and that there needs to be agreement throughout the Government about the scale of the challenges we face. It has become clear to me that the change I had pushed for is not going to come. Given the situation, I have decided to resign as minister for the armed forces.
“We face a more unstable and dangerous world than at any point in recent decades, and having spent most of my adult life in uniform, I understand what public service in such a moment demands.
“It is for this very reason I cannot continue.
“I have watched, as a Marine, what war looks like now. I have spoken to those who have seen it up close in Ukraine. The lesson is uncomfortable and it is unambiguous.
“The character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement can keep up with. We are still purchasing capability suitable for the last war while our adversaries arm for the next one. Platforms that cost billions can be defeated by systems that cost thousands. Any serious defence investment plan has to start from that reality.”
Carns: I could not defencd inadequate defence funding
20:54 , Jane DaltonMr Carns said he quit because he could not “in good conscience” defend a level of investment he knew “to be inadequate to the task”.
He wrote: “I have sat in the rooms, seen the assessments, and spoken to the commanders who will be asked to do more with less, and I cannot in good conscience stand at the dispatch box and defend a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task.
“A serious country funds its defence to meet the threat it actually faces, not the threat it wishes it faced.”
Al Carns resigns as a defence minister in another blow to Starmer
20:28 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAl Carns has resigned as a defence minister, he has announced in a letter to the Prime Minister shared on social media, following John Healey’s exit as defence secretary.
We owe those who serve the UK the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both.
— Al Carns (@AlistairCarns) June 11, 2026
I’ve spent my whole time in government making that case. Number 10 will not listen, so I am resigning as Minister for the Armed Forces.
Letter to the PM… pic.twitter.com/HDCIOcVsA5
Pamela Nash's resignation letter in full
20:20 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPamela Nash has resigned from her post as a parliamentary assistant to John Healey, following his decision to quit as Defence Secretary.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour MP for Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke, said: “I regret to inform you that I am resigning as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence, and the Defence Ministerial Team, following John Healey’s resignation earlier today. This is not an action I take lightly.
“The defence of our nation is the most important responsibility for any government. The delays and difficulties with securing the necessary funding to progress the defence investment plan has been the latest issue that is damaging to the trust of the public in us.
“We saw this laid bare in last month’s election results. Our Government’s successes are consistently drowned out by mistakes and the failure to be bold when it matters most.
“Our country is more divided now than it has ever been in my lifetime, and our political opponents are both the provokers and the beneficiaries. If we cannot provide a strong vision for the UK’s future, and enact a clear, progressive route to get there, then we are allowing the unthinkable: for those opponents to take power. We must do better.
“On a personal level, I wish to thank you for the support that you have given me. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to serve in our Labour Government which we all worked so hard to get elected.
“I will continue to strive from the backbenches for the future my constituents in Motherwell, Wishaw, and Carluke deserve and I hope that our movement can come together to achieve this for people across the UK.”
All the politicians who have left Keir Starmer’s government since 2024 election
20:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainJohn Healey is the sixth Labour minister to resign in just the past month.
Here are all of the politicians appointed by Sir Keir who have resigned, retired, or been sacked from their posts in the two years since the election:
All the politicians who have left Starmer’s government since 2024 election
Pamela Nash resigns as PPS to John Healey
19:46 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPamela Nash has resigned as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to John Healey, following his decision to quit as Defence Secretary in a dispute over funding for the armed forces, the Labour MP announced in a letter to the Prime Minister published on social media.
Read the full letter here:
Defence minister Al Carns hints at resignation over defence funding
19:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainDefence minister Al Carns signalled he would consider his position in government if the defence investment plan is not “right by the armed forces”.
Asked by Sky News if he was considering his position, Mr Carns said: “So, within the situation, I need to do what’s right by the armed forces, and if I don’t think that’s right, then I will absolutely consider my position, and from my perspective, at the moment, we have not closed with this deal.
“When we are closed with this deal, I will decide my position.”
Mr Carns said he was “not expecting an offer” from No 10 to be the next defence secretary.
He added he did not know if he would be sacked for giving frank answers during the interview with Sky News and suggested he was trying to “keep my head down and get on with doing the job”.
PM backs his defence investment plan in letter to Healey
18:59 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIn his letter to John Healey following his resignation as defence secretary, the prime minister insisted the government’s defence investment plan delivered “an unprecedented increase in defence spending in a sustainable way”.
Sir Keir Starmer wrote on Thursday evening: “The world today is more dangerous and uncertain than at any point in our lifetimes. That requires a serious response to build our economic resilience and our national defences.
“We have achieved a great deal working together. We inherited a situation where our armed forces had faced years of underfunding and neglect. Our work leading the coalition of the willing on Ukraine, defending our Gulf allies, and working together with like-minded nations on a plan for the Strait of Hormuz has helped make the world more secure. I am proud of our record on funding. When we entered government in 2024, I took the decision to increase defence spending after the Conservatives hollowed out our armed forces. That required a cut to the international aid budget but the result was the highest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. I will always do what is needed to keep our country safe. I thank you for your work to deliver on all of this.
“You are also right that we have to go further. The defence investment plan does just that — delivering an unprecedented increase in defence spending in a sustainable way. It will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe and the clarity the British defence industry needs to plan. It will make the big strategic investments we need for the long-term and give the certainty which private finance needs to invest. It will allow our armed forces to transform and modernise and back them with the tools they need to change the way we fight — and to deter our enemies. And crucially it will ensure the money spent is spent wisely and used to back jobs and growth here in Britain.
“We are backing this with the necessary investment. The increases in spending that underpin this plan will be sustainable and fair. They will mean significant reallocations of funding from across government departments and the right choices to protect our nation. Strong public finances are part of what keeps us safe – irresponsible borrowing only puts that at risk.“Taking these decisions is never easy. I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises. I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward.”
PM insists a key defence funding plan will 'provide military resources it needs'
18:40 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSir Keir Starmer has insisted a key defence funding plan “will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe” in a letter to John Healey, who the prime minister said he was sorry to see resign as defence secretary.
The PM also wrote: “I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffered by crises. I am sorry you will not be part of that going forward.”
Read the prime minister's letter to John Healey following shock resignation
18:28 , Maryam Zakir-HussainHere is the prime minister’s letter to John Healey in full:
John Healey is a 'great man to work for'- Labour MP
18:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe Labour MP for Croydon West said the resigned defence minister is a “great man to work for”.
In a post online, Sarah Jones MP said: “I was in John’s team as shadow housing minister. A great man to work for - always interested in people and very kind. Such important qualities we don’t always value enough.”
I was in John’s team as shadow housing minister. A great man to work for - always interested in people and very kind. Such important qualities we don’t always value enough. https://t.co/kIkYJQaQ3C
— Sarah Jones MP (@LabourSJ) June 11, 2026
All residents removed from asylum hotel in Epping, says council
17:44 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAll residents at The Bell Hotel in Essex, which has been used to house asylum seekers and was the location of protests last year, have been removed from the property, Epping Forest District Council said.
On Thursday, the council said it was aware the Home Office had vacated all those staying at the hotel and that only security staff remained onsite.
Last year, the location became the focus of protests after hotel resident Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
In a statement, Epping Forest District Council said: “Despite ongoing engagement with the Home Office, we did not know in advance that this was going to happen.
“We are seeking clarification from the Home Office on the details of what has happened and what their next steps will be.”
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
Source close to Yvette Cooper deny she is planning to resign
17:18 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOur politics editor David Maddox reports:
The foreign secretary Yvette Cooper was on resignation watch after John Healey’s dramatic departure as defence secretary.
But a source close to the foreign secretary has denied that she will go despite increasing speculation among Labour MPs.
The source pointed out that Ms Cooper was at the foreign secretary’s official residence Chevening “and done a bunch of interviews today”.
Ms Cooper is already believed to have told Sir Keir Starmer that he needs to quit as prime minister while she has also spent the last two days talking defence spending with Mr Healey and their Australian counterparts.
John Healey: The ‘loyal Labour man’ with a 30-year parliamentary history
16:54 , Maryam Zakir-HussainJohn Healey has stepped down as Sir Keir Starmer’s defence secretary due to concerns over the government’s defence spending.
He said that the current allocation “falls well short of what is required” to safeguard Britain’s security.
A veteran presence on Labour’s frontbench, Mr Healey had served as defence chief since Sir Keir assumed the party leadership in 2020, initially in the shadow cabinet and then retaining the position following Labour’s decisive general election victory in 2024.
Read more here:
John Healey: The ‘loyal Labour man’ with a 30-year parliamentary history
Defence cuts were already a largely unspoken problem for the Starmer government
16:38 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOur politics editor David Maddox reports:
While the top line of defence spending showed a significant increase in the Budget red book the facts have been that since the first Budget in 2024 by Rachel Reeves there have been cuts behind the scenes with a loss in available money.
The biggest problem was that the substantial pay rise for military personnel agreed when Labour took power - along with big pay rises across the board in the public sector - was not funded by the Treasury.
Instead the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was told it needed to find the money itself to fund the inflation busting wage increases.
That meant real terms cuts to actual defence were taking place within a department which officially had more money.
There were stories of teas and coffees being banned from meetings to save the pennies.
The one story which summed up the problem was the delay in sending HMS Dragon to protect Cyprus after Trump’s war with Iran broke out.
The issue there was that overtime payments had been ended delaying the refit of the destroyer and adding time before it could set sail.
Yvette Cooper on resignation watch
16:18 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOur politics editor David Maddox reports:
The Independent has been told that the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is now on resignation watch after John Healey’s dramatic departure as defence secretary.
Labour MPs have noted that Ms Cooper is “very, very unhappy” with the direction of the government under Sir Keir Starmer and has already told him he needs to set a timetable for his departure as prime minister.
It has also been pointed out that the foreign secretary has been in a room for the last two days talking defence spending with Mr Healey and their Australian counterparts.
Now she will have to stand by a failure to meet commitments on defence if she stays.
One MP told The Independent: “John [Healey] will not be the last to quit.”
Another added that Ms Cooper “is definitely on resignation watch.”
Resignation shows a key part of Britain's international reputation for defence 'has gone' former minister warns
16:07 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOur Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood told The Independent Mr Healey's resignation "will spotlight the state of UK defence and rising threats, which is no bad thing."
But he warned that "across Nato this will raise eyebrows. Britain's centuries-old reputation of procuring the strongest military in Europe... has gone."
Starmer in fresh crisis as Healey quits government with scathing attack on PM’s plan to protect Britain
16:01 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSir Keir Starmer’s government has been plunged into a fresh crisis after John Healey dramatically resigned as defence secretary, accusing the prime minister of being “unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs”.
In a scathing letter, laying out the sorry state of Britain’s defences, he said funding for the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (Dip) “falls well short of what is required”, with extra support coming after 2030 when the “imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years”.
His shock resignation comes amid Cabinet wrangling over the plan – which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade – and further undermines the prime minister’s already precarious position.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the latest here:
Starmer in fresh crisis as Healey quits with attack on PM’s plan to protect UK
Ex-Royal Navy chief: Healey resignation leaves country 'more in danger than it was already'
15:52 , Athena StavrouJohn Healey’s resignation leaves the country “more in danger than it was already”, a former head of the Royal Navy has warned.
Lord Alan West, a Labour peer and former first sea lord, said Mr Healey’s resignation was “very, very sad news and very worrying news, because John Healey is an extremely good man, he understands defence, he has been a good secretary of state for defence, and the fact someone like that has gone speaks volumes”.
He added: “Our nation is standing more in danger than it was already”.
Lord West told PA: “I thought that Keir Starmer understood, because he has said all the right words not just to us but also to other countries as well, yet clearly he can’t tell his Chancellor what he wants in terms of spending the right money.”
But he said he thought the prime minister should remain in post, saying a leadership election would be “bloody stupid” and “a bloody disaster”.
He said: “I would leave him where he is, but he needs to knuckle down and deliver on defence.”
Analysis: Who would want the defence secretary job?
15:23 , Athena StavrouThe Independent’s political editor David Maddox writes:
With John Healey making his shock resignation announcement it is hard to know who would want to replace him.
As we wait for the name we know that Sir Keir Starmer had to ask at least three people to be health secretary after Wes Streeting quit before James Murray took the job.
In a government devoid of life waiting for the finishing blow there is little enthusiasm to take on even the great jobs of state.
Added to that whoever comes in will essentially be asking to defend the indefensible. That is saying that defence in a dangerous world is not a priority while trying to justify the failure to fund it properly.
That is the sort of black mark on a political CV nobody truly ambitious wants.
Healey has ‘exposed the war’ in government, says Badenoch
15:13 , Athena StavrouKemi Badenoch has said John Healey’s damning resignation has laid bare “the war behind the scenes” in the government.
The Conservative Party leader told MPs Labour’s backbenches and remaining ministers that they must “take a good, long hard look at what they’re doing to our armed forces and to our country”.
“Labour is not funding defence because they want to spend all their money on welfare,” she said.
“They’re taxing everybody to pay for welfare and this cannot go on.
“The Labour backbenches and even the rest of the cabinet need to take a good, long hard look at what they’re doing to our armed forces and to our country.”
She said Healey had “exposed the war that is going on behind the scenes” and shown Sir Keir Starmer is “too weak to make difficult decisions or to face down his backbenchers.”
John Healey, the former Defence Secretary, has acted honourably by resigning.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 11, 2026
Keir Starmer is too weak to cut welfare and fund defence - as I told him yesterday at PMQs.
Only the Conservatives have a plan to put our national security first. pic.twitter.com/vGaOyasRy4
Watch: John Healey’s resignation is the beginning of the end for Starmer
14:53 , Athena StavrouTreasury defends Reeves after Healey criticism
14:34 , Athena StavrouThe Treasury has defended Rachel Reeves after John Healey’s highly critical resignation letter.
The former defence secretary claimed the chancellor had been “unwilling “ to commit the necessary funding for Britain’s armed forces.
However, a Treasury source said Ms Reeves would “always do what was right and needed to keep the country safe”.
“The chancellor will always do what is right and needed to keep this country safe,” they said.
“You can see that from her actions – a record uplift in defence spending at the spending review and then working alongside the PM to deliver billions more to fund the defence investment plan in full.”
Streeting: Healey's warning must be heeded
14:24 , Athena StavrouFormer health secretary Wes Streeting said resigning defence secretary John Healey’s warnings over military funding must be noted.
Mr Streeting said on X about Mr Healey’s resignation letter: “John was an excellent defence secretary.
“Every word of warning here needs to be heeded.”
Healey’s damning resignation letter comes just weeks after Mr Streeting’s own decision to quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government in the wake of May’s disastrous local elections.
He has since indicated he will challenge Starmer in a leadership battle when the time comes, a fight the prime minister may find yet more difficult in light of this latest resignation.
John was an excellent Defence Secretary.
— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) June 11, 2026
Every word of warning here needs to be heeded. https://t.co/LaVOqKBTiJ
Badenoch: Starmer government 'falling apart' in wake of Healey resignation
14:15 , Athena StavrouTory leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir Starmer’s “premiership is falling apart” following John Healey’s resignation.
She told reporters: “His health secretary resigned two weeks ago. His defence secretary has resigned at a critical time when we are facing global threats, and he is doing so because the Prime Minister is trying to please his backbenchers by putting money into welfare instead of defence.
“We need to start funding defence. We need to get to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of this Parliament…
“Keir Starmer has no plan whatsoever. I don’t see how he can stay in this job. He can’t run the country. He is paralysed because his backbenchers only want to spend money on welfare.”
Al Carns rows in behind John Healey saying defence plan 'not fit for purpose'
14:08 , Millie CookeArmed forces minister Al Carns has rowed in behind John Healey, saying the Defence Investment Plan is "not fit for purpose".
Speaking about Sir Keir Starmer in the wake of the defence secretary's resignation, he told Times Radio: "He’s got to sort this out".
The intervention piles even more pressure on the prime minister, who is now facing damning accusations of not taking Britain's defence seriously enough.
Who could replace John Healey as defence secretary?
14:00 , Athena StavrouThe dramatic resignation of John Healey over the defence spending row has sent shockwaves through the government.
Replacing him would be a difficult job in normal times, even if Sir Keir was not facing a possible challenge to his own leadership from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Here’s a look at who could replace John Healey as defence secretary:
Who could replace John Healey as defence secretary?
Al Carns responds to Healey resignation
13:53 , Athena StavrouArmed Forces minister Al Carns has praised John Healey’s “serious service” as defence secretary upon his resignation.
The former Royal Marine, who served five tours of Afghanistan, said the threats facing this country “ave not paused for a change of Secretary of State”.
Al Carns is considered a frontrunner to replace Healey as defence secretary, but he added in his post that Britain’s Armed Forces “deserve a Ministry of Defence that matches their seriousness with our own”.
John Healey has given this country serious service in a serious time.
— Al Carns (@AlistairCarns) June 11, 2026
He took on the Ministry of Defence at a moment when the world was getting more dangerous, not less, and he carried that weight with the discipline and decency that the job demands.
I worked alongside him… https://t.co/f7ZbZUBqKR
Analysis: John Healey’s resignation is the beginning of the end for Starmer
13:31 , Athena StavrouPolitical editor David Maddox highlights how John Healey’s resignation goes well beyond a row over defence spending:
John Healey’s resignation is the beginning of the end for Starmer
Former defence secretary warns resignation ‘couldn’t be more serious’
13:27 , Athena StavrouA former defence secretary has warned John Healey’s resignation “couldn’t be more serious” for the country.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who served as defence secretary in John Major’s government, said the timing of Healey’s resignation “could not be more damaging”.
“It couldn’t be more serious,” he told Sky News. “Not just for the government but for the country as a whole.
“Defence is a fundamental issue of national security and for a defence secretary to resign from the government, in the knowledge that what is about to be announced as the government’s improvements on defence is simply inadequate.
“That could not be more damaging not just to the government but potentially to the wider national interest.”
Labour MPs: Healey will be ‘sorely missed’ as defence secretary
13:20 , Athena StavrouThe news of John Healey’s resignation has been met with disappointment from some Labour MPs.
MP for York Outer Luke Charters called Healey a “true statesman” whose commitment to Britain’s Armed Forces “has never wavered”.
“He’ll be sorely missed in this role,” he wrote on X.
Another Labour MP, Emma Lewell, said she was “so sad” to see the resignation, but added it was “totally understandable.”
Former Labour shadow chancellor warns cabinet resignations could ‘paralyse’ government
13:13 , Athena StavrouA former Labour shadow chancellor has warned resignations in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet could “ render the government paralysed by lack of leadership”.
John McDonnell, who served in the party’s shadow cabinet from 2015 to 2020, said the second major resignation within a month highlights a “remarkable instability” in government.
“Second member of Keir Starmer’s cabinet to resign in a month,” he wrote on X in response to John Healey’s resignation. “Despite a huge Parliamentary majority there is a remarkable instability about this administration that, if it isn’t addressed soon, could render the government paralysed by lack of leadership.”
Who could be the next defence secretary?
13:11 , Kate Devlin
John Healey was widely viewed as one of the most dependable members of Sir Keir Starmer’s top team. A loyalist, who has never before publicly rocked the boat, he has also steered the Ministry of Defence through its support for Ukraine and response to the Iran war. Replacing him would be a difficult job, even if Sir Keir was not facing a possible challenge to his own leadership from Andy Burnham.
Douglas Alexander
The Scotland secretary is already in the cabinet and is known to have ambitions beyond his current role. A former minister in the last Labour government, he is a hugely experienced politician who would be seen as a safe pair of hands.
Al Carns
The current Armed Forces minister is a former Royal Marine who served five tours of Afghanistan. He would be a popular choice for the role among Labour MPs. But could he really sign up to a defence investment plan that Mr Healey complained would force him to make decisions that would “increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe”?
Luke Pollard
Also a minister in the MoD, he has been in charge of defence readiness and industry since last September. A Plymouth MP and the son of a former Royal Navy submariner, he has an understanding of defence issues that could help steer the department through this turbulent time.
Healey's time as defence secretary in pictures
13:09 , Dan Haygarth
Opposition MPs accuse PM of ‘not taking threats seriously’
13:00 , Athena StavrouJohn Healey’s resignation has left Sir Keir Starmer vulnerable to accusations he is failing to protect the UK’s security.
Opposition MPs were quick to call out the prime minister and his chancellor publically following the former defence secretary’s damning resignation letter.
Tory MP and former foreign secretary James Cleverly said the resignation shows Healey “clearly takes defence of the realm and defence of our interests more seriously than either Keir Starmer or Rachel Reeves.”
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick accused the government of having “all the money in the world for Ed Milliband’s mad plans, foreign aid, and benefits for foreigners. But nothing for our armed forces.”
What is the Defence Investment Plan?
12:55 , Athena StavrouIn a damning letter, John Healey has resigned as defence secretary over government failures to properly fund the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the Dip will be published ahead of a Nato summit this summer, but it has been long delayed by government infighting over funding.
The plan was called for by the government’s Strategic Defence Review, which set out a vision for UK defence over the next ten years, almost exactly a year ago.
The Dip was to “deliver the SDR’s vision” by providing detail of the capabilities and numbers behind the strategy.
Defence secretary John Healey’s resignation letter in full
12:53 , Dan HaygarthJohn Healey has resigned as defence secretary after accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to properly fund the defence investment plan.
In a letter, Mr Healey said the prime minister had 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”.
The plan, originally called for by the strategic defence review almost exactly a year ago, has been long delayed by wrangling over funding.
Read his letter below:
Defence secretary John Healey’s resignation letter in full
Healey is fourth cabinet minister to quit since Labour came to power in 2024
12:52 , Dan HaygarthJohn Healey is the fourth Cabinet minister to leave Sir Keir Starmer’s front bench since coming to power and the second to resign over policy differences after Wes Streeting quit as health secretary last month amid the fallout from Labour’s local election losses.
His letter brought praise from Conservative MPs, with former soldiers Tom Tugendhat and Ben Obese-Jecty describing it as “principled”.
Mr Tugendhat, a former defence minister, said the letter “states clearly this administration has failed”.
He added: “I’ve criticised every party for the state we’re in but the truth is now clear: the complacent confidence in peace is over. We must rearm.”
56% of Britons agree that military funding should rise
12:50 , Dan HaygarthWith John Healey resigning as defence secretary over the PM's military spending plans, 56% of Britons say that military funding should increasehttps://t.co/AT0dotnp7r pic.twitter.com/xbHBzmXBjS
— YouGov (@YouGov) June 11, 2026
Analysis: Healey's loyalty makes his excoriating resignation letter even more damning
12:47 , Millie CookeJohn Healey said his resignation letter was a letter he "never expected to write". Typically a very loyal Labour minister, the defence secretary is not one of the usual Labour trouble makers. It is this that makes his excoriating letter to Starmer so damning.
While he acknowledged that the PM has led efforts to step up internationally for Ukraine and "establish Britain as a leading voice for Europe in Nato", Mr Healey pulls no punches in his criticism of the lack of funding in the defence investment plan.
"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", he wrote.
Why is John Healey so angry about Britain's defence spending?
12:43 , Millie CookeJohn Healey's resignation is a shock - purely because he's such a loyal minister - but when you look at the recent warnings from key military figures over Britain's defence, it’s also deeply unsurprising.
Concerns that we would not be able to defend ourselves in the face of mounting global turbulence are only growing. In recent months, the former head of the Royal Navy warned that Britain’s armed forces are on the “brink of disaster” because of a lack of investment, while the former head of the Armed Forces, Lord Stirrup warned an inadequate announcement on funding would continue decades of “hollowing out” of the services.
Clearly, in the upcoming defence investment plan, Healey believes that Starmer has not adequately heeded those warnings, leaving the former secretary of state with no choice but to quit his post.
Healey said the Defence Investment Plan 'could make the country less safe'
12:37 , Daniel HaygarthHe posted his resignation letter on social media on Thursday lunchtime.
My letter to the Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/j9z9nmLCb1
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) June 11, 2026
Analysis: Healey’s resignation is a blow to Starmer on the national and international stage
12:35 , Kate Devlin
John Healey’s resignation letter is damning for Keir Starmer.
The now former defence secretary effectively accuses him of not doing what it takes to make sure Britain can defend itself. And he is clear the PM cannot claim ignorance.
“You know what defence needs,” he writes. “You made the argument for this powerfully in your speech at the Munich Security Conference back in February.”
The resignation comes just days before Sir Keir is due to attend the G7, where he and other European leaders are set to come under pressure over defence spending from Donald Trump.
For much of his premiership Keir Starmer has been seen as successful internationally, even as he struggled domestically.
John Healey’s decision to quit with a scathing attack on the defence investment plan puts that at risk.
Healey criticises PM for being 'unwilling' to commit resources to defence
12:33 , Dan HaygarthIn his resignation letter, John Healey has criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s unwillingness to commit enough resources to defence.
He wrote: “This new era for defence required further investment through the Defence Investment Plan. The excellent and extensive cross-government work that completed in January – overseen by you, me and the Chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defence.
“Since then, 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.”
He said that “demands on defence have increased still further”, pointing to the Iran war, threats from Russia in the High North, and escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
