Defence secretary quits with damning letter to PM over spending plan that ‘could make the country less safe’
John Healey stepped down on Thursday, admitting 'I'm being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces'
John Healey has resigned as defence secretary, taking aim at the Treasury and the Prime Minister over the government's funding of Britain's armed forces.
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In a damning letter to the Prime Minister, posted to X on Thursday, Mr Healey noted he was left with "no option" but to step down from the role.
The letter criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s unwillingness to commit enough resources to defence, highlighting the growing resources required amid the Iran war, threats from Russia in the High North, and escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
Accusing the PM of failing to properly fund the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), Mr Healey said the current proposal "does not give our Forces the investment they need".
As part of the two-page letter, Mr Healey outlined "the scale of the challenge" facing Britain, admitting: "I'm being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe."
It comes amid continued warnings over Britain's ageing naval fleet, aircraft and military kit.
At present, the UK is spending 2.4 per cent of GDP on defence - the equivalent of around £60.2 billion.
Starmer had committed to hitting 2.5 per cent of GDP from April next year, a figure that was set to rise to 3 per cent during the next parliament.
However, Healey's staunchly worded resignation letter brings such funding into question.
"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," he wrote in the letter.
"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."
The long-awaited investment plan was expected to be published imminently, but according to Mr Healey, the final funding plan fell “well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.
He said extra support was “backloaded”, when “the pressure of operations and imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years, and it rises to just 2.68% of GDP in 2030, when we will reach 2.6% next year with the investment we are already making”.
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My letter to the Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/j9z9nmLCb1
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) June 11, 2026
He added that Starmer had previously flagged that Nato would face an attack by Russia as soon as 2030 and as a resultwas aware “what defence needs”.
A Government source said: “This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest.
“It is this Labour Government and this Labour Prime Minister that is delivering the largest sustained boost to defence spending since the Cold War.
“We cut the international aid budget to make record investment in our armed forces, and now the PM is imposing cuts on other government departments to fund billions more.
“The Defence Investment Plan will deliver the capability our armed forces need.
“We will always do what is right, and needed, to keep the country safe.”
The SNP’s Westminster leader Dave Doogan said: “Keir Starmer is putting Scotland’s safety at risk by failing to deliver the vital defence investment that is needed in the face of growing international threats.
“The resignation of the UK Defence Secretary, at a time of global crisis, is utterly damning for the Prime Minister – and it will be the final nail in his sorry time in office.
“Yet again, the Labour government is in chaos – and it is putting Scotland and the UK’s defence in jeopardy at the worst possible time.”
He added: “In the face of these Westminster cuts, the SNP has consistently led support for Scotland’s armed forces – demanding more investment in our vital conventional defence capabilities and more support for our troops.”
It comes after Kemi Badenoch accused the PM of "dithering" over defence spending, as the battle to increase budgets grew within government.
Speaking this week, the Conservative leader accused Starmer of being "paralysed" over the issue of spending.
It comes after Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and a former British Army officer whose tours include Afghanistan, previously insisted: “We can’t survive without America which is why we need to rearm really fast.”
In the letter, John Healey said the Defence Investment Plan, as proposed by Sir Keir Starmer, “could make the country less safe”.
The resigning defence secretary wrote to the Prime Minister: “You know what defence needs.“You made the argument for this powerfully in your speech at the Munich Security Conference back in February.
“Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.
“After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defence secretary.”
Healey steps down after nearly two years in the role, having been appointed Secretary of State for Defence by Starmer after Labour came to power following the July 5 General Election.
The publication of the government's DIP follows Rache lReeves’s proposal a matter of weeks ago in which military chiefs were asked to find savings of at least £18 billion in a bid to balance the books.