Sunday 14 June 2026 11:14
| Updated:
Sunday 14 June 2026 11:15
Government departments are considering cutting their budgets further to help fund defence, a cabinet minister said.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy insisted national security remained the minister’s “highest priority” and added that departments were seeking to divert their budgets to fund defence.
He told Sky News: “There is a clear picture emerging from this Government that we have shifted resources from other departments to fund defence, including my department as well as other departments, and we continue to do that.”
However, he dodged questions about whether more money would be offered to new Defense Minister Dan Jarvis, who took over from his predecessor John Healey earlier this week.
Nandy said he could not get ahead of the still-unpublished Defense Investment Plan, but added that he did not believe Jarvis “would have taken the job if he didn’t believe we could meet the moment”.
He also rejected claims that defense was not an urgent priority for the government, arguing that the government was committed to ensuring Britain’s safety.
Nandy said: “Defence remains the highest priority, and I don’t agree that we’re not giving it the resources we need. But as the threat level changes, as the global situation changes, we have to change our approach too.”
Healey withdrew
Nandy’s comments follow Healey’s decision to resign on Thursday, after months of tension with Starmer over funding for increased armed forces.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Healey said the government’s draft Defense Investment Plan “falls short of what is necessary for defense and the country at this dangerous time”.
“Having made it clear to you that I will not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not provide the resources our troops need, I now have no choice but to tender my resignation as your secretary of defense,” Healey wrote.
He added that the Treasury Department was also “unwilling to provide the resources the country needs to defend the country at a time of increasing threats.”
But Nandy disagreed with Healey’s claim that Starmer had failed to provide the country with the resources it needed to defend itself at a time when threats were emerging across the world.
He said: “I don’t agree with him on that, because that’s an ongoing discussion.”
Stars under pressure
Healey’s resignation has put Starmer under further pressure, with Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MPs widely seen as allies of the prime minister.
The resignation also comes as Starmer faces a potential leadership battle, with Andy Burnham looking to win next week’s Makerfield by-election.
Starmer, Healey and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are expected to unveil the DIP, a 10-year blueprint that will follow up on recommendations made in last year’s strategic defense review.
The Prime Minister has committed to increasing defense spending to 2.6 percent of GDP from next year, while adding further commitments to reach three percent after 2030 and 3.5 percent by 2035 under the NATO agreement.
Army chiefs have also warned that there is a funding shortfall of £28 billion in the next four years due to rising costs in equipment and other areas of the armed forces.
Armed forces minister Al Carns also resigned on Thursday, citing “inadequate” funding in a letter to Starmer.
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