LONDON: Former army officer Dan Jarvis was Thursday named Britain's new defence minister, hours after John Healey quit, accusing the government of failing to commit enough money to protect the country.
Jarvis was a junior minister for security within the Home Office in embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
Healey's shock resignation weakens Starmer's authority a week before a by-election that could prompt a bid to replace the prime minister.
In stinging criticism, Healey warned that Starmer's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade -- which the leader has yet to publish -- risked making Britain "less safe".
Hours later, Starmer wrote back to Healey saying his spending plans would allow the armed forces to transform and modernise, adding: "I will always do what is needed to keep our country safe."
The defence plan has been repeatedly delayed but Starmer has insisted he will publish it before a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7.