Bloody Thursday for Starmer: Two More Ministers Quit, Seven Gone in a Month

In this RedState article, Ben Smith reports that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is facing a deepening crisis after two more defense ministers resigned, bringing the total number of ministerial departures to seven in one month.

• Defence Secretary John Healey resigned Thursday, accusing Starmer and the Treasury of failing to provide the military with the resources needed to meet rising threats.
• Healey warned that without adequate defense investment, he would be forced into decisions that could reduce readiness, endanger personnel, and make Britain less safe.
• Hours later, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns also quit after publicly suggesting he could not remain in government if defense funding concerns were not addressed.
• Carns said Britain is asking its armed forces to operate in a more dangerous world with a budget designed for a calmer one.
• The article frames the resignations as more than a budget dispute, describing them as evidence of a government in revolt, especially within the department responsible for national defense.
• Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch seized on the resignations, arguing that Starmer is too weak to cut welfare spending in order to fund defense.
• The crisis spilled into Parliament, where Conservative Shadow Defence Minister Mark Francois demanded an urgent government statement on Healey’s resignation.
• Smith notes that Labour is trailing Reform UK in polling and that Starmer’s authority over his own party appears to be weakening.
• The article concludes that individual resignations can be survived, but a steady stream of ministers quitting while former colleagues position themselves for succession is far more dangerous for Starmer.

Read the full story:
https://redstate.com/ben-smith/2026/06/12/bloody-thursday-for-starmer-two-more-ministers-quit-seven-gone-in-a-month-n2203278