British Defense Minister Healey has resigned: "I had no other choice"
British Defense Minister John Healey has resigned, accusing Keir Starmer’s government of failing to secure the funding needed to address growing security threats.
He made the announcement on the social media platform X, according to Censor.NET.
Details
"We came to power recognizing that Britain has entered a new era of threats that requires a new era of defense. The Strategic Defense Review, which we jointly commissioned, set out a ten-year vision for transforming our Armed Forces, strengthening alliances, investing in technologies that are changing the nature of war, and supporting British industry to make defense a driver of economic growth.
This new era of defense required additional investment through the Defense Investment Plan. The excellent and extensive cross-governmental work completed in January under your leadership, with my participation and that of the Chancellor of the Treasury, confirmed the scale of the challenges and the growing risks to defense.
Since then, you have been unable—and the Treasury has been unwilling—to provide the resources the country needs to defend itself in this period of growing threats," Healey addressed Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
At the same time, the minister noted that the financial decision regarding the Defense Investment Plan "significantly falls short of what is necessary for defense and the country at this dangerous time."
"Last week, you yourself outlined the threats: ‘According to our intelligence assessment and that of other NATO countries, Russia could launch an attack on NATO as early as 2030.’
You know what defense requires. You made this clear in your speech at the Munich Security Conference in February. Without a Defense Investment Plan that matches the current level of risk, I am forced to make decisions that will reduce the readiness of our Armed Forces, increase risks to personnel during operations, and may make the country less secure.
"After explaining to you that I cannot agree to a financial decision regarding the Defense Investment Plan that does not provide the Armed Forces with the necessary resources, I had no choice but to resign from my position as Minister of Defense," Healey added.
According to Reuters, discussions regarding an increase in military spending have been ongoing for several months between the ministries of defense and finance.
