Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has issued a stark warning that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has "failed in his primary duty" to protect Britain. The intervention comes as Sir Keir is engulfed in a row over defence spending following the shock resignations of Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns.
Farage's criticism
In a video posted on X, Mr Farage said: "Principled resignations in politics are rare but I think that's what we saw yesterday from John Healey and Al Carns. They're leaving because the Government will not commit to increase defence spending at a time when we've probably never been more under threat."
He accused the Labour government of prioritising other spending over defence: "The Government is happy to splurge vast amounts of money on disability benefits for those that don't need them, tens of billions a year on a mad net zero agenda and much else, and yet defence has gone back to the bottom of the pile."
State of the military
Mr Farage highlighted specific military failures: "Our nuclear submarines aren't working, it took us three weeks to send a single vessel to Cyprus at the outbreak of the Iran war. We are frankly defenceless, it's a serious situation which means the Prime Minister has failed in his primary duty which is to protect the country."
He added that Sir Keir's premiership is effectively over, but reminded that the Tories also cut defence spending over 14 years. He warned that even if Sir Keir were replaced by Andy Burnham, who is eyeing a return to Westminster in the Makerfield by-election, there would be "more Labour chaos".
Prime Minister's response
Sir Keir has insisted he would fight any leadership challenge out of "a sense of service and duty" and not "vanity" or "stubbornness". He defended his record on military funding, telling the BBC: "I have taken the difficult decisions to make sure that we are safe as a country, because that is my number one priority."
