John Healey

The government's plan for defense... falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.

Your DIP financial settlement - which I was first given in full on Monday afternoon this week - falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time.

Unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs

Falls well short of what is required

The nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats

I never expected to write this letter, but I am forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make our country less safe.

Sir Keir of failing to properly fund the nation's defence investment plan during a “dangerous time”.

The prime minister had 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”.

I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.

I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your Defence Secretary.

You spelled out the threats last week: 'it is our intelligence assessment, and the assessment of other countries in NATO, that there could be an attack by Russia on NATO as soon as 2030.'

Since then, 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 excellent and extensive cross-government work that completed in January – overseen by you, me and the Chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defence.

The government's defence investment plan falls "well short of what is required at this dangerous time"

John Healey quitting will send shockwaves shuddering through our military

I wish you all continuing strength in the exceptional challenges you face as prime minister.

Without a Dip that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.

I would not be able to accept a Dip settlement that does not give our forces the resources they need.

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.

As part of this drive, I can announce I will make greater use of national security exemptions for defence contracts - which allow the government to require certain capabilities to be built in Britain - supporting our UK industrial base and…

I was being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces, and I was left with no other option than to quit

The UK should be spending 3% by an earlier 2030 timetable, but warned the plan he was presented with this week moved too slowly

The prime minister had been unable and the Treasury unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats

The proposed settlement for the defence investment plan (DIP) falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time

After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your Defense Secretary.