John Healey, the British defence secretary, announced his resignation on Tuesday. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he expressed concerns about future defence spending and inadequate funding for the British armed forces. Healey stressed that the planned investment plan does not meet the demands of the current security situation, particularly in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
In his resignation letter, Healey said the proposed funding was “far behind what is needed in these dangerous times.” He pointed to delays in publishing the new defence plan and disagreements between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over the scale and financing of planned spending.
Healey had pushed for a larger increase in the defence budget and warned of a looming multibillion-pound funding gap. He criticised Starmer for failing to secure the necessary funds and the Treasury for being unwilling to provide the required money.
Starmer plans to raise British defence spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027 and to three percent by 2034. Critics within the armed forces, however, consider this pace insufficient. Healey had been part of the government since Labour took office in July 2024.
Source: de.euronews.com
