--- description: "I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe," said one lawmaker. title: Top Two U.K. Defense Ministers Resign Over Military Spending Dispute With Starmer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4fe8419728af309f/6a2ab491446c1a47e014c5da/GettyImages-2205375804.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Kingdom](/tag/united-kingdom/) ## United Kingdom Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Top Two U.K. Defense Ministers Resign Over Military Spending Dispute With Starmer by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Jun 12, 2026 11:56 AM CUTPublished: Jun 11, 2026 1:16 PM CUT  British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defense Secretary John Healey visit Barrow-in-Furness, England, on March 20, 2025. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defense Secretary John Healey visit Barrow-in-Furness, England, on March 20, 2025.Oli Scarff—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Jun 12, 2026 11:56 AM CUTPublished: Jun 11, 2026 1:16 PM CUT British Defense Minister John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned on Thursday, accusing [Prime Minister Keir Starmer ](https://time.com/article/2026/04/20/why-uk-prime-minister-keir-starmer-is-facing-growing-calls-to-resign/ "undefined")of failing to invest enough money into the country’s Defense Investment Plan (DIP). Starmer has been “unable,” and the U.K. Treasury has been “unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey claimed in his [resignation letter.](https://x.com/JohnHealey%5FMP/status/2065028766540145140/photo/1 "undefined") Hours later, Carns followed suit, [insisting](https://x.com/AlistairCarns/status/2065151649749041284/photo/1 "undefined") "we owe those who serve the U.K. the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both." Both ministers pointed to the fact that despite the lack of adequate funding, the “demands on defense” have continued to grow. Healey cited the conflict in the Middle East, “with the U.K. now leading the multinational Strait of Hormuz military mission,” and the “increased Russian activity towards the U.K. and NATO nations and increased attacks in Ukraine” as examples. He said the DIP that he “was first given in-full on Monday afternoon this week, falls well short of what is required for defense and the country at this dangerous time.” As a result, Healey continued, he is being “forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.” Healey referenced [Starmer’s ](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-remarks-5-june-2026 "undefined")warning from last week, that by 2030 there could be an attack on NATO from Russia. He also pointed to Starmer’s [speech](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-during-the-munich-security-conference-14-february "undefined") from the Munich Security Conference in February, during which the Prime Minister said: “Together we must rise to this moment. We must spend more, deliver more, and coordinate more.” Healey did mark the achievements that he believes the government has made, despite his dissatisfaction with commitments to military spending, but regretfully said he has been “left with no other option than to submit” his resignation. In a [letter](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a2af457d95ffddb05d4af0d/Letter%5Ffrom%5Fthe%5FPrime%5FMinister%5Fto%5FRt%5FHon%5FJohn%5FHealey%5FMP.pdf "undefined") shared publicly, Starmer said Healey was right that "we have to go further," but staunchly defended his funding plans. "The Defense Investment Plan does just that—delivering an unprecedented increase in defense 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," he said. "I am determined to rebuild our country after years ofbeing buffeted by crises," Starmer concluded. "I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward." Carns' resignation letter came later, and he voiced similar concerns to Healey about the country's defense outlook. "We face a more unstable and dangerous world than at any point in recent decades, and having spent most of my adult life in uniform, I understand what public service in such a moment demands," he said. "It is for this very reason I cannot continue."  British Armed Forces Minister Al Carns is shown mine-detecting equipment during a visit to RFA Lyme Bay in Gibraltar on May 22, 2026. James Manning—Getty Images Dan Jarvis, who has previously served as the Minister of State at the Home Office and Cabinet Office, has been appointed as Healey’s replacement. He's called the opportunity “a huge honor and a privilege.” The departure of the top two defense officials is the latest blow for Starmer, who has spent the past few weeks fighting against mass calls to resign following the Labour Party’s poor performance in May’s local elections. Carns is the seventh minister to resign from Starmer’s government in the past month. The latest leavers follow the likes of [Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, ](https://time.com/article/2026/05/14/wes-streeting-new-prime-minister-potential-starmer-replacement-bio/ "undefined")who said he had “lost confidence” in Starmer and may launch a leadership contest against the embattled Prime Minister. "John was an excellent Defense Secretary," Streeting said following news of Healey's resignation. "Every word of warning \[from his letter\] needs to be heeded." **Read More**: [_Who Could Replace Starmer as Prime Minister? Here Are the Top Contenders_](https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/who-could-replace-keir-starmer-as-prime-minister-uk-contenders/ "undefined") The resignations have stirred debate among opposition lawmakers. Conservative Shadow Defense Minister James Cartlidge said the departures "must be a wake up call" for Starmer. "For months we’ve been saying Labour should move billions from welfare to defence—I hope they now think again," he argued. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, told Labour to "stop repeating the mistakes of the Conservatives and get serious about funding our armed forces properly... we cannot afford years more political chaos while our national security is put at risk." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/uk-defense-minister-john-healey-resigns-military-spending-dispute-starmer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/uk-defense-minister-john-healey-resigns-military-spending-dispute-starmer/"},"headline":"Top Two U.K. Defense Ministers Resign Over Military Spending Dispute With Starmer","datePublished":"2026-06-11T13:16:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-12T11:56:06.000Z","description":"\"I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe,\" said one lawmaker.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/uk-defense-minister-john-healey-resigns-military-spending-dispute-starmer/","keywords":["United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4fe8419728af309f/6a2ab491446c1a47e014c5da/GettyImages-2205375804.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4fe8419728af309f/6a2ab491446c1a47e014c5da/GettyImages-2205375804.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2205375804.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Oli Scarff—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-kingdom/","name":"United Kingdom"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/uk-defense-minister-john-healey-resigns-military-spending-dispute-starmer/","name":"Top Two U.K. Defense Ministers Resign Over Military Spending Dispute With Starmer"}}]}] ```