Former Defence Minister James Heappey has warned that infighting within the Labour government, which led to the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, is making the United Kingdom “look ridiculous” to the rest of the world at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions with Russia.
Heappey criticises revolving door of prime ministers
Heappey, who served as a minister under the previous Conservative government, told the Daily Express that the frequent change of prime ministers—the UK is set to install its seventh leader in just over a decade—undermines the country’s credibility on the global stage. He stressed that the current geopolitical moment, characterised by Russian expansionism and the threat of war in Europe, demands a stable and effective government.
“We’ve changed our prime minister too many times in the last 10 years. Most of that is a consequence of my party being fractious, but now Labour are copying the behaviour,” Heappey said. “We look ridiculous to the rest of the world, and the geopolitical moment, the scale of the threat, demands something a bit better.”
Uncertainty over Andy Burnham’s defence stance
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely expected to succeed Starmer as Prime Minister next week, but little is known about his approach to defence and foreign policy. Heappey noted that Burnham “could turn out to be Churchillian. We just don’t know.” He added that while he would prefer a right-of-centre government, his primary concern is that the UK appears “a bit more serious, a bit more stable, and stop changing prime minister every three seconds.”
Defence investment plan falls short
The criticism comes amid ongoing debate over the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which opposition figures have accused of prioritising welfare over defence. Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said the plan is characterised by “dither and delay.” According to reports, the DIP falls £13bn short of the sum required by defence chiefs, and an additional £5bn must be found in the next budget.
Despite these shortfalls, Heappey expressed sympathy for the challenges faced by the Ministry of Defence and praised the “brave choices” included in the plan. “What I would applaud is that, in recognising that it is not enough—and the Government has recognised that—they’ve had to make some choices around what to disinvest in, and those choices are bloody brave,” he said.
Controversial decision to phase out Type 45 destroyers
One such decision is the phasing out of Type 45 Destroyers in favour of autonomous systems. Heappey acknowledged that this move is significant: “It’s a really big choice to deprioritise the next wave of destroyers and frigates in favour of this sort of autonomous system. You get a bigger lethality gain from that. But you can’t wish away that you’re still going to need the bigger stuff as well.”
The former minister, who now works internationally in business, said his experience abroad has shown him that the UK is perceived as “really unserious” due to its political instability. He urged both Labour and Conservatives to take responsibility for the situation and work towards a more stable government.
