If reports are true and the Defence Secretary has quit on the eve of the Defence Investment Plan, we should be very worried.
Not particularly because of the resignation itself, John Healey was liked but not making progress. We should be worried because of what it says about who’s really running the country.
The Defence Secretary’s job is to fight for Britain’s security. The Chancellor’s job is to fight for the Treasury. Those two people are supposed to disagree, it’s how the machinery of government is set up.
But we learn where the power lies and where the government’s priorities fall when those disagreements come to a head.
Apparently, in Keir Starmer’s Britain, the Chancellor wins. Every time.
For months we’ve been told the world has changed. Russia is rearming. China is becoming more aggressive. Europe is waking up to the reality that peace cannot be taken for granted. We’ve heard endless speeches about the need to rebuild Britain’s military strength.
Speeches are cheap, but ships, subs, jets drones, missiles and munitions are expensive. Sooner or later somebody has to sign the cheque. That appears to be where the problems started.
The uncomfortable truth is that Britain doesn’t have a defence spending problem. It has a political leadership problem. Everyone knows what needs to happen. Procurement needs reform. Production needs scaling. The Armed Forces need modern equipment delivered faster. Defence companies need confidence to invest. The military needs certainty. None of this is controversial.
The next Defence Secretary should understand one thing from day one: You are not there to manage decline more efficiently. You are not there to write glossy reviews. And you are certainly not there to act as a human shield for Treasury bean counters. Your job is to ensure Britain can defend itself.
If that means picking a fight with Rachel Reeves, pick it. If that means confronting the Treasury, do it.
And if the Prime Minister won’t back you, resign.
Because the greatest threat to Britain’s defence isn’t Russia, China or Iran. It’s a political class that understands the dangers perfectly well but still refuses to act like it.
Ben Everitt is a former Member of Parliament and founder of Stratonex Defence Technologies
