U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey resigns over defense spending plans

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday after receiving a Monday presentation from the Treasury on the government’s proposed Defense Investment Plan. Healey submitted a resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer stating that the plan “falls well short of what is required at this dangerous time.”

Healey was succeeded several hours later by Dan Jarvis, who previously served as security minister. Another junior defense minister, Al Carns, also resigned Thursday. Carns stated in his resignation letter that he could not defend “a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task.”

According to the NBC News article, Healey’s resignation letter further detail provided that the Treasury’s proposed plan would raise defense spending to 2.6% of GDP next year and to 2.68% in 2030. Healey cited commitments including the Iran war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and Moscow’s testing of europейيي