Prime Minister Keir Starmer was dealt a major blow as Sky News‘ usual programming was interrupted for a breaking alert. Presenter Matt Barbet issued the huge announcement and told viewers: “We’ve just had some reaction online from the US government to the resignation of John Healey.” Matt then read out the social media response from the United States’ Under Secretary of War, Elbrigde Colby, who wrote: “The United Kingdom has an extraordinarily proud military history. It commands our respect. There is again a great need for more British military strength in this critical time. We urge the UK to meet that need with urgency, scale, and determination.”

On Thursday (June 12), the now former Defence Secretary announced his shocking resignation in a statement, accusing Starmer of putting the UK’s security at risk at a time of growing international threats. In the blistering letter, he penned: “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.

The Sky News presenter continued: “That is just one of several posts, but you get the idea, and actually, it’s not a huge change from what the US has been saying for quite a while.

“Which is, it wants the UK and other NATO countries to spend more on defence as a percentage of GDP. They prefer 5%, I think the UK is currently aiming for three.”

“Nevertheless, John Healey doesn’t think it’s enough, and it sounds like Under Secretary of War Elbrigde Colby, from that post, agrees with him,” Matt concluded.

In his continued response, the US principal adviser went on: “As I said recently in Normandy, ‘Here soldiers, sailors, and airmen from Great Britain and Canada demonstrated the courage, tenacity, dedication, daring, and loyalty that won them the lasting admiration and gratitude of the whole world.

“‘Not only here in Normandy but also through the entirety of two World Wars at the Somme, Passchendaele, and Ypres in the Great War, and at Dieppe, El Alamein, and in the North Atlantic in the Second. Allow me, on behalf of my country, to pay special homage to them.'”

Elbridge continued: “‘Our purpose now must be to take our resolve from the legacy of Normandy – to look at our challenges realistically and seriously, to build our military strength individually and together, and to restore our home fronts that can, once again, supply overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions.’”

Starmer responded to Healey’s resignation letter and rejected the criticism of defence spending. He insisted that the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip), which was expected before Christmas last year, would “provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe”.

In a letter to Healey, the PM added that his government would increase defence spending in a “sustainable” way, warning that “irresponsible borrowing” would put the country’s finances at risk: “I will always do what is needed to keep our country safe.”

The former Minister of State for Security, Dan Jarvis, has now been appointed to the role of Defence Secretary.