PM suffers three-pronged attack on defence spending

Former defence secretary John Healey has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves in a withering resignation speech, accusing the prime minister of allowing the Treasury to determine Britain’s defence policy based on cost-saving measures.

- DAVID MADDOX MILLIE COOKE

Addressing the Commons for the first time since his shock resignation last Thursday, Mr Healey said the government had failed to outline a path to reaching 3 per cent of GDP on defence and warned that "our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury".

He said the UK's defence spending plan falls "well short of what is required", and called on the government to make “bolder priorities" and "harder choices” to ensure Britain is protected in an increasingly dangerous world.

Mr Healey's comments came hours after one of Sir Keir Starmer's most senior military chiefs warned Britain's armed forces would have to "dial back" overseas deployments and training exercises if Sir Keir did not offer more funding for defence.

Sir Rich Knighton echoed Mr Healey's concerns to peers on the international relations and defence committee yesterday, warning: "The thing that I'm most concerned about is the level of day-to-day activity funding, the resource departmental expenditure limit, because that funds operational activity and drives exercises and training.

"Those are the things that make sure the men and women of our armed forces are as ready as they can be with the equipment that they have got today, and without changes to the settlement, as John Healey set out, then those areas will come under pressure."