Dan Jarvis appointed Defence Secretary hours after John Healey’s shock resignation
Security Minister Dan Jarvis was handed the top Cabinet post nearly nine hours after John Healey quit with a withering takedown of the Government’s defence spending plans
Dan Jarvis has been named as the new Defence Secretary(Image: Richard Townshend Photography)
Dan Jarvis has been appointed as the new Defence Secretary after John Healey’s bombshell resignation.
The Security Minister was handed the top Cabinet post nearly nine hours after Mr Healey quit with a blistering takedown of the Government’s defence spending plans.
His shock departure triggered a crisis in the Ministry of Defence, with Armed Forces Minister Al Carns following him out of the door. Ministerial aides Pamela Nash and Rachel Hopkins are also said to have quit tonight.
Mr Jarvis, an Army veteran who served in the Parachute Regiment in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan, takes on the top job at the Ministry of Defence as a crisis over defence spending rocks Keir Starmer’s leadership.
In his resignation letter, Mr Healey accused the Prime Minister of putting the nation’s security in jeopardy by failing to stand up to the Treasury, which he accused of being unwilling to commit the funds needed for defence.
Ministers have been locked in a tense battle over how to fund the long-awaited defence investment plan (DIP), which is already more than six months late.
Mr Healey said the plan – which he was shown on Monday – “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.
His departure left the PM scrambling to find a new Defence Secretary days before leaders of the G7 nations meet in France, and ahead of next month’s crucial Nato summit.
The Prime Minister this evening insisted he will deliver “an unprecedented increase in defence spending” and suggested Mr Healey was wrong to criticise the Government’s commitment to defence spending.
In his response, the PM said the DIP will “provide the resources our military need to keep us safe” and will be backed by “necessary investment”.
He said that the plans will be underpinned by “sustainable and fair” increases in spending. The PM added: “Strong public finances are part of what keeps us safe – irresponsible borrowing only puts that at risk.”
In a statement after he appointed Mr Jarvis, the PM said: “My first duty is to keep the British people safe, and I will always do what is necessary to protect our national security.
“I am pleased to appoint Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary as we strengthen our armed forces and meet the growing threats facing our country.
“This Labour Government is delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
“In a dangerous and volatile world, we will give our armed forces the capabilities they need to defend Britain and keep our nation secure.”
