British Defense Secretary Resigns Over Military Spending in a Setback for Starmer

John Healey, the United Kingdom defense secretary, resigned on Thursday in a dispute over military spending, an unexpected departure that weakens Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government. The Financial Times reported that Healey accused Starmer of being unable, and the Treasury of being unwilling, to provide the budget that national defense requires. The armed forces minister, Al Carns, resigned alongside him, widening the departures from the government.

In his resignation, Healey said the government was failing to commit resources at a time of growing threats, citing a pledge to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of national output by 2035, according to the New York Times. Al Jazeera reported that Britain's defense and finance ministries had been locked in a prolonged budget standoff. Russian coverage of the letter highlighted that Healey named Russia directly among the rising threats he cited. Starmer moved quickly to fill the post, appointing the security minister, Dan Jarvis, as defense secretary days before a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) next week.

The resignation lands as the United States accelerates its military withdrawal from Europe, leaving European governments to confront a widening security gap with constrained public finances. Britain's argument is no longer whether to spend more on defense, but whether the budget can bear it.