British Defense Minister John Healey resigned on Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to invest enough money into the country’s defence investment plan.
Starmer has been “unable,” and the U.K. Treasury has been “unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey claimed in his resignation letter.
The lawmaker said that despite the lack of adequate funding, the “demands on defense” have continued to grow.
He cited the conflict in the Middle East, “with the U.K. now leading the multinational Strait of Hormuz military mission,” and the “increased Russian activity towards the U.K. and NATO nations and increased attacks in Ukraine” as examples.
Healey said the defence investment plan that he “was first given in-full on Monday afternoon this week, falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.”
As a result, Healey continued, he is 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.”
Healey referenced Starmer’s warning from last week, that by 2030 there could be an attack on NATO from Russia.
He also pointed to Starmer’s speech from the Munich Security Conference in February, during which the Prime Minister said: “Together we must rise to this moment. We must spend more, deliver more, and coordinate more.”
Healey did mark the achievements that he believes the government has made, despite his dissatisfaction with commitments to military spending, but regretfully said he has been “left with no other option than to submit” his resignation.
The Defense Minister’s departure is the latest blow for Starmer, who has spent the past few weeks fighting against mass calls to resign following the Labour Party’s poor performance in May’s local elections.
Healey is the sixth government minister to resign from Starmer’s government in the past month.
He follows the likes of Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, who stepped down last month and may well launch a leadership contest against the embattled Prime Minister.
Read More: Who Could Replace Starmer as Prime Minister? Here Are the Top Contenders
Healey’s resignation has been applauded by some opposition lawmakers.
“I’ve always admired John Healey’s integrity and he’s shown it in this action,” said Conservative Shadow Defense Minister James Cartlidge. “He had to resign given that the Prime Minister was offering him such a tiny amount of money for our Armed Forces.”
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, framed Healey’s resignation as a “wake-up call” for Labour.
“Stop repeating the mistakes of the Conservatives and get serious about funding our armed forces properly,” he said. “We cannot afford years more political chaos while our national security is put at risk.”
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