KEIR Starmer is “putting Scotland's safety at risk” by failing to deliver the defence spending increase demanded by his former defence secretary John Healey who has dramatically quit, it has been claimed.
Healey dealt the Prime Minister a major blow on Thursday when he resigned, claiming that Starmer was “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 long-awaited Defence Investment Plan contained a financial settlement that Healey said he received on Monday which “falls well short of what is required”, with extra support coming after 2030 when the “imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years”.
His move is “utterly damning for the Prime Minister”, the SNP have said.
Dave Doogan, the party’s Westminster leader, said: “Keir Starmer is putting Scotland's safety at risk by failing to deliver the vital defence investment that is needed in the face of growing international threats. The resignation of the UK Defence Secretary, at a time of global crisis, is utterly damning for the Prime Minister – and it will be the final nail in his sorry time in office.
"Yet again, the Labour government is in chaos – and it is putting Scotland and the UK's defence in jeopardy at the worst possible time.
"It is a disgrace that, for decades, successive Labour Party and Tory governments have imposed Westminster austerity cuts on our defence and left us vulnerable. They have slashed our defence capabilities, decimated our armed forces, reduced our Scottish regiments, and left our brave personnel without the equipment and support they need.”
The SNP have consistently demanded greater funding for the conventional armed forces though have remained critical of spending on the Trident nuclear weapons programme.
Doogan added: “In the face of these Westminster cuts, the SNP has consistently led support for Scotland's armed forces – demanding more investment in our vital conventional defence capabilities and more support for our troops.
"There is no more time for excuses. The Labour government must deliver the urgent investment needed in our defence instead of breaking yet another promise and leaving the UK vulnerable.
"If Keir Starmer isn't capable of delivering the investment needed to keep us safe, then it makes it all the more important that he steps aside as Prime Minister without further delay.”
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said Healey’s resignation should Labour have “no serious plan to address threats we face”.
He added: “A government with no leadership, under a caretaker PM expected to be replaced imminently – it's chaos. But we must be very wary of lining the pockets of arms companies with a limitless spending bill.”
The London Assembly member said that as well as investing in the military, the UK Government must also include repairing public services.
He added: “Real security means traditional defence, yes. But also resilient public services, a world class health service.
“We need to make sure that were looking at defence to also include cyber security, threats to nature and the climate crisis and our resilience towards both pandemics and terrorist attacks. Most of all we need a clear and consistent plan.”
Healey’s resignation over what he sees as a lack of adequate funding for the armed forces is unprecedented in recent history.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said his departure showed that Starmer’s “premiership is falling apart”, adding: “His health secretary resigned two weeks ago. His defence secretary has resigned at a critical time when we are facing global threats, and he is doing so because the Prime Minister is trying to please his backbenchers by putting money into welfare instead of defence.”
Tan Dhesi, the chair of Westminster’s Defence Committee said Healey’s resignation was a “grave moment”, adding: “The Defence Committee has been clear that investment in defence must be accelerated to reach 3% of GDP by the end of this Parliament, and that the Defence Investment Plan cannot be delayed further or used to disguise hard choices.”
In a sign of mounting internal peril for Starmer, defence minister Al Carns heaped praise on his former boss saying Healey had “given this country serious service in a serious time”.
He added: “I saw the hours, the care, and the seriousness he brought to every brief, including the hardest ones. There are issues facing this department that do not lend themselves to easy answers.
“The work on funding, on veterans, on legacy, on the welfare of those who serve.
“The threats facing this country have not paused for a change of secretary of state. Our Armed Forces remain on operations around the world, standing with our allies, protecting our interests, and keeping the British people safe.”
