British Defense Secretary John Healey announced his resignation on Thursday, in a surprise move he said was due to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Treasury’s failure to allocate sufficient resources for defense investment.

In his resignation letter, posted on his X account and addressed to Starmer, Healey wrote, “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.”

The resignation comes as the anticipated defense investment plan has yet to be finalized. It also follows reports in British media on Wednesday that the Chief of the Defense Staff had sent a letter to the Prime Minister amid concerns that an offer of approximately £13 billion in additional funding for a major defense investment plan falls short of the required level.

The resignation letter stated, “This new era for defense required further investment through the Defense Investment Plan. The excellent and extensive cross-government work that completed in January – overseen by you, me and the Chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defense.”

He added, “Your DIP financial settlement – which I 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.”

He explained that additional support is deferred to later stages, while the pressures of military operations and the urgent need to accelerate combat readiness are concentrated over the next two years. He noted that Defense spending will rise to just 2.68% of GDP by 2030, while it will reach 2.6% next year thanks to investments already underway.

He addressed Starmer, saying, “You know what defense needs. You made the argument for this powerfully in your speech at the Munich Security Conference back in February.” He added, “Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, 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.”

He concluded, “After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your Defense Secretary.”

The government had postponed the release of the long-awaited defense investment plan, which sets out defense funding levels for the next decade, amid reports that the proposed allocations fall far short of the needs requested by defense industry officials. (EIR)