UK defence minister John Healey resigns over military spending dispute

UK's Defence Secretary of State John Healey resigns on Thursday over a defence spending dispute.

Britain’s defence minister said he has resigned over ‌a disagreement with the UK prime minister about defence spending.

Healey accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to commit the government resources that are needed to defend the country.

It comes as Britain's's defence and finance ministries have been locked in talks for months over how to meet rising demands to expand military spending, delaying Britain's Defence Investment Plan since last year.

In a letter addressed to Keir Starmer and posted on X on Thursday, Defence Secretary John Healey accused the prime minister of failing to commit the government resources that are needed to defend the country.

"You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the ‌nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats," Healey said in his letter to Starmer.

The delay has infuriated Britain's defence industry which says it cannot invest in long-term programmes for the country's security at a time of huge geopolitical volatility and as the United States pivots away from protecting Europe.