Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have been accused of turning Britain into “a laughing stock” on the international stage, as the Prime Minister insists he will remain in Number 10 despite the devastating resignation of his defence secretary.
Sir Keir is scheduled to meet world leaders, including Donald Trump, at the G7 Summit in France next week. The agenda will focus on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. The Prime Minister also hopes to finalise additional agreements with French President Emmanuel Macron to curb small boat crossings.
However, Conservatives argue that Labour’s failure to adequately fund the armed forces has severely damaged the UK’s credibility. This follows former Defence Secretary John Healey’s stark resignation letter, in which he warned that Sir Keir’s government “could make the country less safe.”
Writing for the Express, Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel stated: “I speak regularly to senior ministers and ambassadors from our key allies and partners, and since Labour came to office our standing in the world has fallen off a cliff.”
Highlighting previous controversies, including the abandoned plan to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, she added: “From Labour’s £35bn Chagos Surrender to their kowtowing to China, granting them their super embassy spy-hub in the heart of London, we are becoming a laughing stock.
“These resignations and the proof Labour won’t commit the funding needed for defence show we are letting down our country and our allies.”
Dame Priti also referenced Mr Healey’s claim that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is “unwilling” to provide urgently-needed defence funding. She said: “She’s found billions for benefits and net zero projects to appeal to left wing voters and compete with the Green Party, but won’t get Britain on a clear path to spend what we need to defend our country and support our allies.”
The White House expressed concern about the state of the UK’s armed forces. US under-secretary of war Elbridge Colby issued a statement on social media, saying: “There is again a great need for more British military strength in this critical time. We urge the UK to meet that need with urgency, scale, and determination.”
Sir Keir insisted defence is his top priority and vowed “I’m not going to go away.” He told the BBC: “We have another spending review coming up and before the end of this Parliament, and defence will be a number one priority in that space.” The Prime Minister suggested cash would be taken from other services to fund defence, stating: “I’ve tackled it head on and I have taken the decision to reallocate from other departments ... every department is contributing to this.”
However, Downing Street refused to reveal when the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan will be published, saying only that it would come before a NATO summit on July 7. The Ministry of Defence had previously said it would be published by autumn 2025, and it was then expected today (Friday), before plans were derailed by Mr Healey’s resignation.
New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis and Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton met Sir Keir for talks on Friday morning. A No 10 spokeswoman would not be drawn on whether Mr Jarvis had asked for more funding as a condition of taking on the role.
Military chiefs have called for around £28 billion over four years, while officials in Whitehall sought approximately £18 billion. But it is understood the plan was set to promise just £13.5 billion, of which only £10 billion was extra cash, with defence sources claiming the other £3.5 billion was “Treasury trickery,” such as money from efficiency savings.
In his damning resignation letter, Mr Healey said: “I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations.” Former armed forces minister Al Carns, who also resigned, said the funding plan did not meet the challenges of modern warfare as demonstrated by the Ukraine conflict, where drones have become a key factor on the battlefield.
Despite his desire to fight on, Sir Keir will come under pressure to announce a resignation date if Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wins next week’s Makerfield by-election, allowing Mr Burnham to return to Parliament as an MP and potentially become Prime Minister. Rival leadership contender Wes Streeting, a former health secretary, joined criticism of the Prime Minister last night, saying failure to “make the right choices” on the defence investment plan is “just a symptom of the indecision at the heart of this government.”
