UK defence minister John Healey resigns, accusing Starmer and Treasury of starving the military of funds
John Healey stepped down as Britain's defence secretary on Thursday, publishing a resignation letter that blames Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Treasury for failing to fund what he calls a new era of rising threats.
The resignation letter
John Healey announced his resignation as UK defence minister on 11 June 2026, catching Westminster by surprise. He published his letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on social media, stating he had "no other choice" because of a deadlock between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over military investment. The dispute has delayed the government's Defence Investment Plan.
This new era for defence required greater investment through the defence investment plan. The excellent and exhaustive intergovernmental work that concluded in January confirmed the scale of the challenge and the growing demands on defence. Since then, you have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to allocate the resources the nation needs to defend itself against growing threats.
Healey had led the ministry since 5 July 2024, serving throughout Starmer's premiership.
The spending demands
Healey's letter detailed a list of escalating operational commitments that he argued made increased funding urgent. He pointed to the conflict in the Middle East, with the UK now leading the multinational military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, and security in the High North, where Britain heads NATO's Arctic Sentinel mission. He also cited rising Russian activity against the UK and NATO nations, intensified attacks in Ukraine, and the Paris Agreement confirming a British deployment in Ukraine after a ceasefire.
Since January, defence demands have increased further, as have the commitments rightly made by you to allies.
The NATO target dispute
At the centre of the row is the timeline for hitting NATO's defence spending benchmark. Healey wrote that the UK must set a deadline to reach 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, arguing that other European allies are already moving in that direction and that such a commitment would attract strong cross-party support. The government had agreed to a NATO pledge of spending 3.5% of GDP by 2035 during the next spending review, but Healey insisted that a nearer-term 3% target was essential.
I am certain that the UK must set a deadline for 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.
The stalled investment plan
Healey described a Defence Investment Plan designed to do two things: address the immediate operational demands and intensify the Strategic Defence Review actions to counter the growing threat, while also setting a clear path to the 3.5% NATO commitment. He acknowledged that Starmer had worked hard to reach the current point but concluded that credible ways to meet the financing challenges existed and that the Treasury's refusal made his position untenable.
- John Healey becomes UK defence secretary under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- Intergovernmental work on the Defence Investment Plan concludes, confirming the scale of the challenge.
- Healey resigns, citing Treasury unwillingness to fund defence and a deadlock over the investment plan.
What comes next
No immediate replacement was named in the resignation announcement. The departure leaves a vacancy at the top of the UK defence establishment at a moment when British forces are leading two multinational missions and preparing for a post-ceasefire deployment in Ukraine. The standoff between Defence and the Treasury now moves into the open, with Healey's public letter framing the argument for any successor or parliamentary debate.
