Britain's Defense Secretary Quits over Spending Dispute

John Healey resigned as Britain's defense secretary on Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to secure the resources needed to defend the country. The defense and finance ministries have been negotiating for months over how to meet rising demands for increased military spending.

"You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats", Healey wrote in his resignation letter to Starmer.

The delay has angered Britain's defense industry, which argues that it cannot invest in long-term security programs at a time of significant geopolitical uncertainty and growing US disengagement from European defense.

(reuters, max)