The resignation of John Healey as Defence Secretary is a seismic moment in the collapse of Keir Starmer’s Government. HM Treasury’s “victory” of reducing and postponing financial commitment to the modernisation and upgrading of the nation’s defence is achieved at the expense of the Prime Minister’s continuing “leadership”, such as it was.

Healey’s resignation is terminal for Starmer and must be the most serious ministerial resignation since Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation from Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet in 1990. That departure included the best resignation line ever delivered in the House:

“It is rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease only for them to find, the moment the first balls are bowled, that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.” Sir Geoffrey Howe MP, House of Commons, 13th November 1990

Funnily enough, John Healey could literally quote these exact words as they neatly sum up his own situation with Sir Keir too.

In the shortest of short terms, the question must be how Starmer can convince anyone to take on the Defence portfolio with the prospect of having to defend what Healey’s resignation letter makes truly indefensible. TWOP’s bet is on Hapless Jones, who even indicated to the Prince of Darkness in his not-quite-disappearing WhatsApp messages that he had ambitions for the MoD post. Jones is already “all in” with Starmer’s leadership and may now conclude that he may as well take the highest ranking job available from which to view the sinking ship slip beneath the waters from the best vantage point.

“2.68% by 2030” is a spending metric to remember.

Check us out on insta @theworldofukpolitics