UK Defence Secretary Resigns After Budget Clash with PM Starmer

UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigned from his post on Thursday (11/6) local time, following months of dispute over the military budget. Healey accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to release enough funds to maintain national security.

Healey, as reported by Reuters on Friday (12/6/2026), also said Starmer had failed to allocate sufficient resources to protect the country from increasingly growing threats.

The resignation, accompanied by sharp criticism of the prime minister, is another indication that Starmer’s government is increasingly eroded and reveals a crisis at the heart of government – how the administration can increase defence spending when little money is available and welfare budgets continue to rise.

Healey, previously a loyal minister, had been engaged in talks with Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves about how to meet the required additional military budget, delaying the UK Defence Investment Plan, which should have been implemented last year.

“You are unable, and the Treasury is unwilling, to allocate the resources the country needs to defend this nation,” Healey said in his resignation letter to Starmer.

Starmer responded with a letter expressing regret over Healey’s resignation. He subsequently appointed Security Minister Dan Jarvis as the new Defence Secretary.

Following the Defence Secretary’s lead, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns also announced his resignation on Thursday (11/6), just hours after Healey stepped down. Carns’ resignation was also linked to the dispute over the defence budget.

“It has become clear to me that the changes I have fought for will not happen,” Carns said in his letter.

Carns said he could no longer remain in government because the changes he had fought for in defence policy and military investment were unlikely to be implemented.

In his resignation letter, Carns said the defence budget plan was “not designed for the threats we face”. He said the British Armed Forces were being asked to operate in a more dangerous world without sufficient resources.

“The character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement capability can keep pace,” Carns said, warning that the current budget plan was not sufficiently transformative and was inadequately funded.

The unexpected resignations are the latest blow for Starmer, who is likely to face challenges to his leadership in the coming months.