Starmer Loses 2 Defence Ministers as Military Spending Revolt Reignites Labour Dissent
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 12
Starmer Loses 2 Defence Ministers as Military Spending Revolt Reignites Labour Dissent
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 12
Summary
John Healey quit as defence secretary on Thursday, saying Keir Starmer's proposed military spending "falls well short" of what Britain needs, turning a planned defence investment rollout into a fresh political setback.
Al Carns then resigned as armed forces minister about an hour after saying in TV interviews that his job was to "steady the ship," leaving Starmer searching for two senior defence replacements.
Dan Jarvis, newly installed as defence secretary, now heads to a NATO defence ministers' meeting next week with the spending dispute unresolved and the government yet to sell its plan publicly.
The row revives Labour infighting just days before Starmer travels to the G7, with allies blaming a sluggish economy, high taxes and pressure on welfare and other departments for the defence funding squeeze.