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Both John Healey and Al Carns resigned from their ministerial positions on Thursday over the government’s defence investment plan
LIVE Updated 18m ago
Keir Starmer and John Healey on a visit to a Vanguard submarine Photograph: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
Minister rejects claims Labour's defence policy 'in tatters', as Dan Jarvis starts work as new defence secretary
Good morning. This time yesterday Keir Starmer’s leadership was already in peril, with many in his party assuming that he will be replaced by Andy Burnham at some point later this year, but there was a consensus that, on defence and international security, his record was impressive. John Healey’s surprise resignation as defence secretary blew that apart. Later, after 8pm last night, Al Carns, the armed forces minister, also resigned over the defence investment plan.
Here is our main story, by Pippa Crerar and Dan Sabbagh.
Here is an analysis by Jessica Elgot.
And you can read the exchange of letters between Starmer and Healey here.
In his letter to Healey, Starmer defended the defence investment plan (Dip), which has not been published but which prompted Healey’s resignation because, when he saw what he thought was the final version on Monday, he concluded that it did not commit enough money to the armed forces. Starmer said:
You are also right that we have to go further. The defence investment plan does just that — delivering an unprecedented increase in defence spending in a sustainable way. It will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe and the clarity the British defence industry needs to plan. It will make the big strategic investments we need for the long term and give the certainty which private finance needs to invest. It will allow our armed forces to transform and modernise and back them with the tools they need to change the way we fight — and to deter our enemies. And crucially it will ensure the money spent is spent wisely and used to back jobs and growth here in Britain.
That implied the version of the Dip that was unacceptable to Healey would not be changed.
But this morning Peter Kyle, the business secretary, has been giving interviews on behalf of the government – and he implied it was still being finalised.
Kyle told Times Radio “the plan is being developed” and “we are determined to get it right”. And on Sky News he said:
We are setting [the Dip] out before the Nato summit, [in] early July, what that looks like, and we are just finalising those plans.
At one point the government was expected to publish the Dip this week. The Nato summit does not start until 7 July, and so Kyle’s comments imply publication has been held back.
In his Times Radio interview, Kyle also rejected a suggestion that the government’s defence policy was “in tatters”. When this was put to him, he replied:
No, the plan is being developed. We are determined to get it right. We are talking about an enormous amount of money going into defence at a period of time where we have to modernise the way we think about defence, but also make sure that we do so in a way that benefits British jobs. This is highly complex.
Last night Dan Jarvis, the former security minister, was appointed defence secretary. We don’t know yet whether, as a condition of taking a job, he insisted on a revision of the Dip spending figures that Healey criticised so strongly. But he is due to attend an event at a drone factory in Swindon this morning, and so we might get some clarification there. Earlier this morning he arrived at Downing Street.
(According to Politico, the visit to the drone factory was planned some time ago, and at one point it was thought this could be where Healey would be announcing the publication of the Dip. But on Wednesday the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, said that releasing such an important announcement when the Commons was not sitting would be “an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face” to MPs, and – before Healey resigned – the government abandoned plans for an annoucement today.)
We will also get a lobby briefing at 11.30am which may – or may not – provide some clarity. Otherwise, the political diary for the day looks quite empty.
I’m afraid we’re not expecting to be able to have comments open today because the moderators are particularly stretched with other duties. But, if you want to draw something to my attention, do use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
Key events
Peter Kyle says he is loyal to Keir Starmer, but not 'blindly loyal'
Peter Kyle, the business secretary, told Sky News this morning that he was loyal to Keir Starmer, but not “blindly loyal”. He said:
It is a purpose that brought me into politics, not a person.
That purpose is to get growth into our economy, to make sure the hard work is rewarded anybody who should get on in life and has the aptitude to get on in life and the approach to get on in life should be able to be rewarded for it.
We need to make sure we have a country that is respected around the world, and public services that are there for everyone, because they’re too often not.
This is the mission that I came into politics in order to deliver and Keir Starmer has delivered on these things.
He has earned my loyalty. I’m not blindly loyal to him. He has earned my loyalty, because we are aligned in the purpose of this government.
Sky News has just shown some footage of Dan Jarvis meeting Keir Starmer in No 10, and then footage of him leaving No 10.
As he walked along Downing Street, reporters shouted questions at him from a distance. What’s the state of the defence investment plan (Dip)? Are you renegotiating the Dip? Will it be ready in time for the Nato summit? Are you just keeping the defence secretary seat warm for someone else?
All good questions.
But Jarvis did not answer them.
UK’s defence plan is underfunded and outdated, says Al Carns after resignation
Al Carns has delivered a withering assessment of the government’s defence plans after quitting as defence minister, accusing ministers of not spending enough money on the military and spending it on the wrong weapons. Kiran Stacey has the story.
Minister rejects claims Labour's defence policy 'in tatters', as Dan Jarvis starts work as new defence secretary
Good morning. This time yesterday Keir Starmer’s leadership was already in peril, with many in his party assuming that he will be replaced by Andy Burnham at some point later this year, but there was a consensus that, on defence and international security, his record was impressive. John Healey’s surprise resignation as defence secretary blew that apart. Later, after 8pm last night, Al Carns, the armed forces minister, also resigned over the defence investment plan.
Here is our main story, by Pippa Crerar and Dan Sabbagh.
Here is an analysis by Jessica Elgot.
And you can read the exchange of letters between Starmer and Healey here.
In his letter to Healey, Starmer defended the defence investment plan (Dip), which has not been published but which prompted Healey’s resignation because, when he saw what he thought was the final version on Monday, he concluded that it did not commit enough money to the armed forces. Starmer said:
You are also right that we have to go further. The defence investment plan does just that — delivering an unprecedented increase in defence spending in a sustainable way. It will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe and the clarity the British defence industry needs to plan. It will make the big strategic investments we need for the long term and give the certainty which private finance needs to invest. It will allow our armed forces to transform and modernise and back them with the tools they need to change the way we fight — and to deter our enemies. And crucially it will ensure the money spent is spent wisely and used to back jobs and growth here in Britain.
That implied the version of the Dip that was unacceptable to Healey would not be changed.
But this morning Peter Kyle, the business secretary, has been giving interviews on behalf of the government – and he implied it was still being finalised.
Kyle told Times Radio “the plan is being developed” and “we are determined to get it right”. And on Sky News he said:
We are setting [the Dip] out before the Nato summit, [in] early July, what that looks like, and we are just finalising those plans.
At one point the government was expected to publish the Dip this week. The Nato summit does not start until 7 July, and so Kyle’s comments imply publication has been held back.
In his Times Radio interview, Kyle also rejected a suggestion that the government’s defence policy was “in tatters”. When this was put to him, he replied:
No, the plan is being developed. We are determined to get it right. We are talking about an enormous amount of money going into defence at a period of time where we have to modernise the way we think about defence, but also make sure that we do so in a way that benefits British jobs. This is highly complex.
Last night Dan Jarvis, the former security minister, was appointed defence secretary. We don’t know yet whether, as a condition of taking a job, he insisted on a revision of the Dip spending figures that Healey criticised so strongly. But he is due to attend an event at a drone factory in Swindon this morning, and so we might get some clarification there. Earlier this morning he arrived at Downing Street.
(According to Politico, the visit to the drone factory was planned some time ago, and at one point it was thought this could be where Healey would be announcing the publication of the Dip. But on Wednesday the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, said that releasing such an important announcement when the Commons was not sitting would be “an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face” to MPs, and – before Healey resigned – the government abandoned plans for an annoucement today.)
We will also get a lobby briefing at 11.30am which may – or may not – provide some clarity. Otherwise, the political diary for the day looks quite empty.
I’m afraid we’re not expecting to be able to have comments open today because the moderators are particularly stretched with other duties. But, if you want to draw something to my attention, do use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
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