Here lies Canute Healey, who tried to turn the tide of wilful stupidity
Most of Wednesday’s PMQs were taken up by TLOTO’s questions about the government’s failure to produce its long-awaited defence spending plan. Today, the SecState, John Healey, resigned. In simple terms, Starmer and this increasingly left-wing government have thrown our Defence under a bus in order to maintain benefits, feed a broken and never-satiated NHS that is incapable of mending itself, and to meet the increasing cost burdens that illegal immigration has foisted on us.
Britain’s defence debate has spent the better part of three decades circling the same uncomfortable truths without ever confronting them directly. Part of the problem lies within the Ministry of Defence itself. Successive Defence Secretaries have inherited an institution burdened by layers of bureaucracy and periodically damaged by allegations of waste, poor judgment, dishonesty and, in some cases, outright corruption. Since the Falklands era, the MOD has often appeared more comfortable assessing risk than taking decisive action. Critical decisions are delayed, programmes drift, and strategic clarity gives way to process.
Yet the deeper problem is not administrative. It is our global posture. For years, Britain has attempted to pursue three separate ambitions simultaneously. First, it wants to remain a global military power. The nuclear deterrent sits at the centre of that ambition, bringing with it the requirement for ballistic missile submarines, aircraft carriers, long-range strike capabilities and the infrastructure necessary to project force far beyond Europe. Second, Britain remains committed to NATO and the defence of Europe. That means maintaining armoured forces, artillery, air defence systems, logistics networks and sufficient ammunition stocks to contribute meaningfully to a major continental conflict. Third, the country must keep pace with a technological revolution that is reshaping warfare. Drones, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, cyber operations and electronic warfare are no longer niche capabilities; they are rapidly becoming central to military effectiveness.
