I have often defended Rachel Reeves, but her latest mistake is completely unforgivable. The Chancellor has faced ridicule and criticism for several calamitous decisions, but her refusal to fund defence will prove the worst yet, writes Express Journalist Conor Wilson.
Healey's Resignation Shakes Starmer's Government
On more than one occasion, I have put difficult questions to John Healey about the state of the UK military and Sir Keir Starmer's ability to fix it. On every occasion, he has been resolute in his support for the Prime Minister, passionate about the unique skills he believes the Labour Party has to protect Britain, and able to show a seriousness that many of his predecessors have failed to do. It is therefore difficult to overstate how significant it is for a veteran Labour MP like Healey to resign from his role. He was perhaps one of the least likely Cabinet members to turn his back on the Prime Minister, and sources suggest the decision was difficult. His decision to quit after a year of wrangling with a Rachel Reeves-led, bean-counting Treasury has hurt Starmer's reputation immeasurably and leaves the country vulnerable at the worst possible moment.
A Trailblazer but Flawed
For the record, I have at times spoken up for Reeves. Several policy decisions have been indefensible, but it would be fair to say that very few politicians in the last decade have been on the receiving end of such vitriolic criticism and abuse. I have spoken of the fact that, as the country's first female Chancellor, she is unarguably a trailblazer and history maker. I also believe that some criticism has been driven by the fact that she is a woman. But critics of the disastrous winter fuel policy or the PIP fiasco and the constant desire to placate backbench MPs over welfare are justified in their criticism of a Chancellor who many people believe to be out of her depth.
Defence Neglect Endangers the Nation
But for all the chaos of those examples and others above, her ardent opposition towards national security could be the one way in which history will judge her most harshly. Reeves is either blind, unmoved or too idealistic to realise the threats we face and make the difficult decisions to allow us to counter them. This Labour Government, in which she has played a significant role, has had to be dragged kicking and screaming at every opportunity to incrementally pledge and promise to meet its most basic responsibility: to protect UK citizens. They made no promise to increase defence spending in their election manifesto and did so only after Donald Trump's election left them with no choice.
British defence companies have been left rudderless and frustrated as they attempt to scale and sell their products at home. The handling of the Defence Investment Plan (DiP) has been nothing short of a disaster, with months of delays and embarrassment caused by her steadfast refusal to fund our military. Last week's resignations of John Healey and Defence Minister Al Carns came after months of internal frustration and rows, as the pair realised that even if the DiP were eventually published, it would be unable to fund the changes required to our armed forces, so painfully laid out in the Strategic Defence Review.
The ongoing war in Ukraine, outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, Iranian drones landing on British bases, Royal Navy vessels limping pathetically to theatres weeks after they were needed, and mercenary attacks on UK soil have failed to convince the Chancellor that the UK needs defence investment before anything else. Her steadfast refusal and Healey's resignation have harmed the Prime Minister immeasurably in the short-term, but it could harm us fatefully in the long-term.
