Former Veterans' Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer has warned that delaying a decision on defence funding until next autumn would be a "profound mistake," as he criticised Chancellor John Healey for appearing to abandon the principles that led to his resignation.
Writing in the Daily Express, Mercer highlighted the tension between social and national security, referencing Andy Burnham's recent Commons claim that national security "can't come at the expense of social security." Mercer called the soundbite one that will be "thrown back at him time and again" amid escalating global threats.
Healey's Resignation and Reversal
Mercer, who knows Healey personally, noted the Chancellor's June 11 resignation letter to Keir Starmer, in which Healey wrote: "I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe."
Healey's departure contributed to Starmer's resignation eleven days later. Yet Mercer said Healey now "seems content to allow his new boss to kick the can down the road," a position Mercer called "not a defendable position."
Spending Disparity and Public Awareness
Mercer cited figures showing one in five working-age adults on Universal Credit, with £62 billion spent on defence and £145 billion on working-age welfare in 2025-26. He argued the public is "getting ahead of the debate" on defence, quoting Sir Max Hastings: "The Labour Party is lagging behind the country. The British people are waking up to the threat while Labour are off in fairyland."
He referenced warnings from MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton, and Metropolitan Police head Sir Mark Rowley about growing threats, saying "we are only one or two mistakes or misjudgements away from coming out of the grey zone hybrid war, and into an all-out conflict."
Government Attitude and Strategic Concerns
Mercer criticised the Government's attempt to repudiate the 2023 Legacy Act, which he campaigned for, calling the move "politically senseless" with direct strategic impacts on recruitment and deployment. He noted the High Court rejected claims it was unlawful.
He also stressed the importance of AI sovereignty, saying the "actual contests of influence are now around the sovereignty of Artificial Intelligence." Mercer concluded: "We can't have social security without national security. It's time we all woke up to that hard fact."
