How long can the 'zombie' PM cling on? Starmer reels from defence meltdown with funding plan STILL not finalised - amid fears of MORE resignations to come

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 08:24, 12 June 2026 | Updated: 08:28, 12 June 2026 Keir Starmer is desperately trying to survive another huge crisis today after an extraordinary defence meltdown. The PM is hunkered down in No10 as he reels from the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey - who accused Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves of failing to keep the country safe. Mr Healey was followed out of the door by his deputy Al Carns and two ministerial aides, all condemning the funding settlement proposed after months of bitter Whitehall wrangling.  There was an agonising nine-hour wait before security minister Dan Jarvis was finally promoted to take charge of the Ministry of Defence. Business Secretary Peter Kyle - one of the PM's few remaining loyalists - was despatched to broadcast studios this morning to try to stabilise the situation. He admitted the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) - which was due last Autumn - has still not been finalised. Keir Starmer is desperately trying to survive another huge crisis today after an extraordinary defence meltdown The PM is hunkered down in No10 as he reels from the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey 'The plan is being developed. We are determined to get it right,' Mr Kyle told Times Radio. 'We are talking about an enormous amount of money going into defence at a period of time where we have to modernise the way we think about defence, but also make sure that we do so in a way that benefits British jobs.' In his resignation letter yesterday, Mr Healey revealed that plans signed off by the PM and Chancellor will increase defence spending by just 0.08 percentage points of GDP by the end of the decade, despite rising threats across the world. Senior defence figures warned that the threadbare settlement would leave Britain 'in danger'. The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is also regarded as on resignation watch. Mr Carns followed Mr Healey out of the door last night less than an hour after a Sky News interview – not authorised by No10 – in which he said the funding proposals were not good enough. He has warned that the UK will be seen as weak at a crucial Nato summit starting on July 7.  Mr Carns declined this morning to pour cold water on claims he is mulling a bid to succeed Sir Keir, saying 'we'll see what happens in the future'. He also suggested that benefits could be cut to help free up funding. 'We have got to find more money,' he said.  'There is an argument about welfare. I am a firm believer that it's about hands up, not a hand out.  'But we need to help the people who need the most help within the nation but also get the balance right on defence.'  Despite the backlash, Sir Keir has signalled he will stick with the funding plan rejected by Mr Healey. It is unclear whether the blueprint will appear before he heads to a G7 summit - also attended by Donald Trump - next week. Sir Keir was already under huge pressure as Andy Burnham threatens to launch a leadership challenge, assuming he wins the Makerfield by-election next Thursday. Mr Healey criticised Rachel Reeves' (pictured) role in curtailing how much funding was available for defence  Tom Tugendhat, a former soldier who served as a Tory security minister, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mr Healey's words as he resigned were 'damning'. He added: 'The reality is now the enemy is at the gate, and we're still not taking this seriously. 'So, it's one of those 'If not now, when?' moments.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.