Defense Secretary John Healey said that Britain’s credibility was at stake in the Labour’s Party’s leadership crisis, urging those in government to put the security of the country before politics.
Politics Defense Secretary John Healey Photographer: Andy Rain/EPA/Bloomberg Contact us: Provide news feedback or report an error Confidential tip?
Send a tip to our reporters Site feedback: Take our Survey New Window By Ellen Milligan May 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM UTC Defense Secretary John Healey said that Britain’s credibility was at stake in the Labour’s Party’s leadership crisis, urging those in government to put the security of the country before politics.
In his first speech since fellow cabinet members began urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign, Healey said his colleagues “must get serious.” The speech to the Good Growth Foundation was intended to promote the government’s efforts to invest in defense, but Healey devoted a portion of his remarks to the political jockeying that has gripped Westminster in the wake of Labour’s heavy defeat in local elections on May 7.
