Pat McFadden was in the Netherlands when the Defence Secretary resigned. The event was for the DWP Secretary Pat McFadden to learn how the Dutch tackle the NEETS crisis, an announcement set to be overshadowed before it had even happened, because Defence Secretary John Healey had resigned.
Youth Hub Visit Overshadowed
In a youth hub in the Netherlands, students were enjoying salmon rillet and duck in apple sauce. There were cheers while Mr McFadden pulled a pint, after a member of staff showed him how, not knowing that within minutes Britain would lose the man responsible for defence, as war raged on in Ukraine and Iran.
Mr McFadden poured. The DWP minister was there to announce almost 180 new youth hubs and discuss the benefits of vocational training, on a trip that would almost certainly fail to register with voters as Keir Starmer's Government struggled to stay afloat.
At the time Mr Healey was accusing the PM of being unable and the Treasury unwilling to commit the resources the nation needed, his cabinet colleague was being briefed by officials for his interview with journalists, expecting questions on NEETs, welfare, and the prospects of Andy Burnham.
Resignation Breaks
Instead, he faced questions over the PM's leadership, with Mr Starmer suffering another resignation just weeks after Wes Streeting quit as Health Secretary. The news broke while journalists waited in the main room. "John Healey has resigned," a political journalist announced. As three hacks glued themselves to their phones, another, coming back with a chocolate mousse in an edible plant pot, asked what had happened. "The Defence Secretary has resigned," they repeated, a comment which sparked a nearby civil servant to sprint away, realising the minister would now be facing very different questions.
Arriving in the room, the minister joked about the big issue he wanted to talk about. "I think my pint was poured better than his." He told hacks he had not seen the letter, praised Mr Healey, but disputed his suggestion that Mr Starmer was not able to boost defence.
Mr McFadden had arrived in the Netherlands to discuss the response to a crisis. As he returned to Britain, the Government faced yet another.
