Outgoing Defence Secretary John Healey said the contents of the Defence Investment Plan fell well short of what was required to properly support Armed Forces personnel (Picture: MOD)

Tri-Service

Defence Secretary quits, saying Defence Investment Plan risks safety of Armed Forces

11th June 2026 at 12:35pm

Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned – three days after being shown the Defence Investment Plan – arguing it does not provide enough funding to give the Armed Forces what they need.

In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, he said not enough resources were being made available.

That would reduce the readiness of the Armed Forces and increase the risk to personnel – and in turn that could make the country less safe, he warned.

My letter to the Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/j9z9nmLCb1
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) June 11, 2026

A new era of threat

Mr Healey pointed out how the Strategic Defence Review, the Government's 10-year plan to transform the Armed Forces, recognised how the UK was facing a new era of threat.

He also explained that this new era would require further investment – something he said the Defence Investment Plan, colloquially known as the DIP, would not sufficiently deliver.

Speculation had been mounting as to when the Defence Investment Plan would be announced, but Mr Healey's letter reveals he only became aware of its contents himself on Monday afternoon.

Operations in the MIddle East have put pressure on the Armed Forces at an increasingly worrying time in terms of national security (Picture: MOD) — Operations in the MIddle East have put pressure on the Armed Forces at an increasingly worrying time in terms of both national and global security (Picture: MOD)

Russia a potential aggressor

Mr Healey outlined some specific demands that are being placed on the Armed Forces, these being:

:: Conflict in the Middle East, with the UK leading the multinational mission in the Strait of Hormuz

:: High North security, with the UK again taking the lead, this time with Nato's Arctic Sentry mission

:: Increased Russian activity towards the UK and Nato nations

:: Increased Russian attacks on Ukraine

The outgoing Defence Secretary pointed to the Prime Minister's own words, in which Sir Keir said intelligence assessments suggested there could be an attack by Russia on Nato as soon as 2030.

Russia is becoming increasingly reckless, witnessed by incidents like this in which Su-35s and Su-27s flew alongside an RAF Rivet Joint over the Black Sea, coming as close as six metres of the Rivet Joint's nose, disabling its autopilot (Picture: MOD)

Not enough

He said aims of the Defence Investment Plan had been to deal with increasing operational demands as well as this increasing new threat, while setting a path to spend 3.5% of gross domestic product on defence in 2035, with a "headmark" figure of 3% by 2030.

But Mr Healey pointed out how under the DIP, spending would reach just 2.68% by 2030 – when the UK was already on course for 2.6% next year.

"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 Defence Secretary," Mr Healey told Sir Keir.