Two Top UK Defence Figures Resign: Why It Is A Big Blow To Keir Starmer

Published 12 June 2026 · europe

Two Top UK Defence Figures Resign: Why It Is A Big Blow To Keir Starmer Published By, Last Updated: June 12, 2026, 09:13 IST A

Two Top UK Defence Figures Resign: Why It Is A Big Blow To Keir Starmer Published By, Last Updated: June 12, 2026, 09:13 IST A dispute over UK military funding led to the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey, followed soon after by armed forces minister Al Carns. Rapid Read British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (IMAGE: REUTERS) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a fresh crisis after two senior defence figures resigned over military funding, opening a new front of pressure at a time when his leadership is already under strain inside the Labour Party. Defence Secretary John Healey quit on Thursday after warning that the level of military spending proposed by Starmer “falls well short" of what is needed to protect the country. Soon after, Al Carns, the minister of state for the armed forces, also resigned, saying he could not defend “a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task". The row comes as his government prepares to finalise a long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, which is expected to explain how Britain will fund its military priorities at a time of rising concern over Russia and pressure on NATO countries to spend more on defence. Security minister Dan Jarvis, a former British Army officer, was appointed as the new defence secretary on Thursday evening. What Triggered The Resignations? At the centre of the crisis is the Defence Investment Plan, or DIP, a blueprint that is supposed to spell out how Britain will pay for the defence commitments made in last year’s Strategic Defence Review. The review had called for a shift towards “warfighting readiness" and promised billions in extra spending on ammunition, next-generation fast jets, drones and new attack submarines. The plan was originally due last autumn, but internal disagreements over defence spending pushed it back.

The dispute escalated after Healey received the proposed funding settlement on Monday. He said the plan was “backloaded", meaning it pushed too much of the money to later years, while the armed forces needed urgent investment in the first two years to become battle-ready faster. Healey accused Starmer and the Treasury of failing to provide the money needed at a dangerous moment for the country. He wrote that the prime minister had been “unable" and the Treasury “unwilling" to “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats". Healey also pointed to Starmer’s own warning on Russia. The prime minister had recently said British intelligence assessments suggested Russia could be ready to attack NATO countries as soon as 2030. Healey’s argument was that if the threat was so serious, the government’s funding plan should have given the armed forces more money and faster support. How Big Is The Funding Gap? According to the BBC, the government was preparing to announce a £13.5 billion funding increase for the Ministry of Defence over the next four years. That was far below the extra £28 billion reportedly requested by the department. Starmer, however, has argued that the government must raise defence spending in a way that is “sustainable and fair". His government has committed to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035, but it has not yet fully explained how that commitment will be funded. Why Al Carns’ Resignation Made It Worse Carns, a former Royal Marine, resigned shortly after Healey. Only about an hour earlier, he had suggested in interviews with Sky News and the BBC that he was willing to wait until the Defence Investment Plan was finalised before deciding his position. Soon after, he posted his resignation letter on X.