British Defense Secretary John Healy resigned on Monday over a dispute over defense spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to provide his government with the resources needed to defend the country, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The British Defense and Treasury departments have been discussing for months how to respond to growing demands for increased military spending, and Britain's Defense Investment Plan has been delayed since last year.
“You are incapable and the Treasury is unwilling to allocate the resources the nation needs to defend the country at this time of growing threats“, Healy said in a letter to Starmer.
The delay in the plan has angered Britain's defense industry, which says it cannot invest in long-term programs for the country's security at a time of great geopolitical instability and amid the United States' withdrawal from its role as Europe's protector, Reuters notes.