UK Defence Secretary Resigns Over Stalled Military Investment Plan Ahead of NATO Summit

U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday after a dispute with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP), dealing the British leader a setback weeks before a critical NATO summit that will be attended by President Donald Trump.

Healey’s departure stemmed from disagreements about the timing and scale of the DIP – the government’s long‑promised roadmap for military investment and readiness – at a moment when NATO allies face renewed pressure from the United States to increase defence spending.

“John Healey’s resignation is a seismic moment for the government and the Ministry of Defence,” Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Senior Associate Fellow Ed Arnold told Fox News Digital. “For the government, it creates a series of political headaches in terms of a replacement and getting the Defence Investment Plan published.”

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Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey speaks with British and Norwegian naval personnel at the unveiling of the Atlantic Bastion programme in Portsmouth, Britain, on Dec. 4, 2025. (Peter Nicholls/Pool via Reuters)

Healey had been in intense, late‑stage negotiations with Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves over the scale and timetable of the DIP.

Starmer reportedly refused to set a firm timeline for reaching 3.5 % of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035 – a target promised to Trump at last year’s NATO summit – and would not commit to a specific date for hitting 3 %.

Instead, Starmer offered Healey a proposal to spend 2.68 % of GDP on defence by 2030, only marginally above the 2.6 % slated for next year, according to Reuters.

“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country,” Healey wrote to Starmer in his resignation letter, warning that the financial constraints would “make the country less safe.”

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose with NATO leaders during the NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool via Reuters)

“If the delay to the Defence Investment Plan was already undermining the government’s credibility on defence, John Healey’s resignation has blown a hole in its side,” Professor Kevin Rowlands of RUSI told Fox News Digital.

“The immediate consequence is not just political embarrassment for No. 10, but a significant loss of planning certainty at a time when the British Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence, and industry need clarity on what will be funded, and when.”

The political fallout is expected to reverberate across the Atlantic, where Washington has increased pressure on European allies to meet their defence obligations. Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO members as “free riders.”

On June 3, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the upcoming NATO summit would be “the most important meeting” in the alliance’s history because “some things need to be cleared up and fixed.” He added, “The United States is still in the NATO alliance, and we’ll be there.”

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer increased the military presence in Cyprus following an Iranian drone strike early Monday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. officials have made it clear that patience is wearing thin. “Ahead of next month’s NATO summit, the President has been clear: Allies must fulfil their commitment to spending 5 % of GDP on defence,” U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker posted on X this week.

A U.K. funding package far lower than £18 billion ($23 billion) would send a highly “negative” signal to Trump ahead of the Ankara meeting, according to The Times.

Starmer has pledged to raise spending to 3 % in the next Parliament, but Healey’s exit has highlighted that the current strategy leaves the U.K. trailing key allies. By comparison, Germany plans to spend 3.7 % of its GDP on defence by 2030.

“Healey knows the threats we face, the capabilities and shortfalls of our armed forces, and if he believes the financial settlement is insufficient to keep the country safe—to the extent that he cannot honourably stay in post—then we are in trouble,” Rowlands added.

“While the impact will mainly be felt on Whitehall, the international implications are severe with a NATO summit just three weeks away,” Arnold noted.

Emma Bussey is a breaking‑news writer for Fox News Digital. She previously worked at The Telegraph on foreign, politics, news, sport and culture desks.

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