STORY
Sir Keir Starmer has said he has not lost authority and will fight any leadership challenge after the resignation of John Healey as Defence Secretary. Reuters reported that the Prime Minister made the comments after Healey quit over the Government’s defence spending plans and said ministers had not committed the resources needed to keep the country safe.
Starmer said he was not prepared to walk away from office and argued that any successor would face the same financial constraints. He said defence and security remained his priorities and pointed to decisions already made to move spending from other departments into defence investment.
The comments came during a period of renewed speculation about Labour’s leadership and the Government’s spending choices. Healey’s resignation has increased pressure on Downing Street ahead of international meetings where defence spending and support for Ukraine are expected to remain central issues.