UK stands by defence spending plan despite resignation over funding concerns

UK Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle has defended the government’s defence investment plan, which has been linked to the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey, rejecting claims that it provides insufficient funding for the armed forces.

Speaking to Sky News, Kyle said he supported Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approach to defence spending and disputed Healey’s assessment that the plan falls short of military needs.

He confirmed that the strategy is still being finalised, despite earlier government indications that it would be published this week, adding that it is being prepared ahead of the NATO summit in early July.

Kyle said the government expects defence spending to reach 3% of GDP at the start of the next parliamentary term, with a further increase to 3.5% by 2035.

He also said he had agreed to budget reductions within his own department to help fund defence priorities, describing the decision as straightforward in principle, though challenging in practice.

Kyle added that he had quickly agreed to the cuts when asked, saying he viewed supporting the defence plan as a core government objective and was prepared to accept departmental sacrifices to ensure its funding.

John Healey resigned on June 11, citing disagreement with the government’s defence spending plans, which he argued did not reflect the scale of current security threats.

By Aghakazim Guliyev