Keir Starmer names new armed forces minister after struggling main blow with resignations
The Prime Minister has revealed his replacement for armed forces minister after suffering a massive blow to his leadership
Keir Starmer named his replacement for armed forces minister(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Keir Starmer has named his replacement for armed forces minister after Al Carns‘ shock resignation.
The Prime Minister, on Thursday, was hit with a major political challenge amid uncertainty around his position as leader of the Labour Party and PM. Starmer suffered a further blow when defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns resigned over the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip).
North East Derbyshire MP Louise Sandher-Jones has been made armed forces minister, taking over from Carns.
Her role as veterans minister will be taken over by Calvin Bailey. Angela Eagle, meanwhile, has been appointed as a security minister in the Home Office and Cabinet Office, replacing Dan Jarvis after he was made Defence Secretary.
Carns slammed the funding plan as not having enough money behind it and was not “transformational” in the way it responds to the challenges of modern warfare as shown by the Ukraine conflict – where drones have become a key factor on the battlefield.
The highly-decorated Royal Marines officer, who traded his military career for Westminster, insisted Sir Keir should stay in place to “steady the ship”, but did not rule out a future leadership bid. Carns also said there were issues with both the level of funding and the type of equipment being bought for the military.
Downing Street named Dan Jarvis as the replacement for Healey. Starmer has insisted defence spending was a priority and he had taken the “difficult decisions” necessary to keep the country safe.
Military chiefs have called for around £28 billion over four years, while a figure of around £18 billion had been sought by officials in Whitehall. Despite this, the Dip promised just £13.5 billion, of which only £10 billion was extra cash, with defence sources claiming the other £3.5 billion was “Treasury trickery”, likely from expected efficiency savings or cuts.
Healey complained the extra support was also “backloaded” to later years of the settlement when the need for the money was urgent.
The Prime Minister however hit back at Healey’s criticism, saying: “We have another spending review coming up and before the end of this Parliament, and defence will be a number one priority in that space.”
Starmer also put his foot down on his position and told the BBC that he has a “duty” to stay on as Prime Minister. He said: “I don’t think we should plunge the country into the chaos of a leadership election.”
He added: “I don’t think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight. And let me just be clear with you. That’s not about personal vanity, it’s not about stubbornness. It’s out of a very deep sense of duty.”
