British Defense Secretary Resigns Over Insufficient Spending

John Healey said the prime minister had been unable to ‘commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.’

British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey attends a press conference at the Ministry of Defence in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Jan. 21, 2026. Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters

British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey resigned on June 11, accusing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit adequate resources to defend the country amid heightened threats.

Healey announced his shock resignation in a highly critical public letter posted on X, in which he accused Starmer and the British Treasury of being “unable” and “unwilling” to “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.”