Image source, Ravi Soodi / Home Office

The UK has a new defence secretary - former Security Minister Dan Jarvis.

His appointment comes after an incredibly turbulent day for the government, starting with the resignation of former Defence Secretary John Healey.

In a letter to the prime minister, Healey said he had "no other option" but to resign due to the government not giving the military the money it needs in the financial settlement for the defence investment plan.

The plan - yet to be released - is set to outline government defence spending over the next decade. Starmer has insisted the plan would provide the resources the military needs "to keep us safe".

Despite his departure, Healey asked defence ministers to stay in their posts.

But a few hours later, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns followed suit, saying the plan wasn't "built for the threat we face" and wasn't "sufficiently funded".

The latest departures mean seven ministers have now stepped down from the government in the past month.

We're now pausing our live coverage.

Jarvis has lots of warm relationships in the Commons, but what a job he takes onpublished at 22:41 BST

22:41 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor

An extraordinary day. And one of many in recent weeks and months.

The appointment of a new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis - a former mayor of South Yorkshire, MP in Barnsley, and a former soldier who served in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like many MPs who've spent time in the armed forces, he has lots of warm relationships across the chamber, particularly with others who have also served in the military.

But what a job he takes on, given the withering assessment of his predecessor, John Healey.

Here was a man who was defence secretary this morning, suggesting that the government's plans as they stand might not be able to keep the country safe.

There couldn't be a more devastating critique levelled at the prime minister.

We knew the government was struggling to find agreement over its defence investment plan, but what many hadn't seen coming was the guy at the top walking out.

Image source, EPA

Earlier, our political correspondent Jack Fenwick reported that now-former Defence Secretary John Healey had asked the government's other defence ministers to stay in post to minimise disruption.

Well since then, there have been two more resignations.

Pamela Nash resigned as parliamentary private secretary in the Ministry of Defence a few hours ago.

And, shortly after, so too did Armed Forces Minister Al Carns. As Chris Mason reports, the BBC understands he resigned after Dan Jarvis had been appointed as the new defence secretary.

Prior to his own resignation, Carns had mounted a defence of his former boss, writing that "John Healey has given this country serious service in a serious time."

He added: "I worked alongside him closely. I saw the hours, the care, and the seriousness he brought to every brief, including the hardest ones."

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Political reaction to Al Carns's resignation from government is starting to trickle in.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge says he has "huge respect for Al Carns and the manner of his resignation".

Cartlidge calls some of the criticism of government legislation in Carns's letter a "passionate and principled excoriation".

Meanwhile, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice asks why Carns "had no part in preparing" the government's defence investment plan "despite being best qualified Labour MP".

Chris Mason
Political editor

I understand that Al Carns resigned as a defence minister after Dan Jarvis had been appointed as the new defence secretary.

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Today has seen two ministerial posts vacated at the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces Minister Al Carns handed in his resignation a little while ago, following his boss John Healey, who stepped down as defence secretary earlier today.

Here's how the day has played out (so far):

On Monday - Healey says he is presented with the government's defence investment plan in full for the first time - it lays out funding for the department over the next decade.

12:09 (all times in BST) - John Healey publicly announces his resignation as defence secretary, posting his resignation letter on X. He says that he has "no other option" but to resign because funding falls "well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time".

13:34 - Al Carns, the armed forces minister, says there are "issues" facing the defence department, "that do not lend themselves to easy answers". He says that the world is "getting more dangerous" and his boss, John Healey, carried that weight with "discipline and decency".

At around 14:00 - A government source defends Starmer, telling the BBC: "This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest."

Just after 18:00 - Keir Starmer defends his funding plans in a letter to Healey, saying his plan will "provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe” and that he was "sorry" to see the him go.

20:18 - Al Carns announces his resignation from government, writing in a letter to Starmer that "it has become clear to me that the change I had pushed for is not going to come", and the UK cannot keep up with changing “character of conflict”.

Chris Mason
Political editor

The prime minister said: “My first duty is to keep the British people safe, and I will always do what is necessary to protect our national security.

“I am pleased to appoint Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary as we strengthen our armed forces and meet the growing threats facing our country.

“This Labour Government is delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

“In a dangerous and volatile world, we will give our armed forces the capabilities they need to defend Britain and keep our nation secure.”

Joshua Nevett
Political reporter

Jarvis is a former Army officer who has served as security minister since 2024, and a Cabinet Office minister since last year.

Having been elected as an MP in 2011, he spent years on the backbenches, before becoming the mayor of South Yorkshire from 2018 to 2022.

In 2023, he was appointed shadow security minister in Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet, and took up a role in government after Labour won the 2024 general election.

His Army background and experience made him a likely candidate to replace Healey.

Image source, House of Commons/PA Wire

Security Minister Dan Jarvis has been appointed as John Healey's replacement as defence secretary, No 10 says.

Joshua Nevett
Political reporter

As Chris said, Carns’ resignation came shortly after he criticised the government’s defence investment plan in strikingly candid interviews with Sky News and the BBC.

Here’s a bit more of what he said:

Carns suggested "we should look at every model possible to find the money for defence and national security to make sure we're safe and secure here in the United Kingdom".

He added that the government needed to get the "right financial settlement for defence" and that the "defence investment plan is as transformative as it can be".

He gave no indication he was going to resign within the hour of giving that interview.

He did, however, tell Sky News in an earlier interview that he would “consider my position” once he’d seen the final defence investment plan.

"I’m getting on with my job," he said.

It seems something changed between the Sky News interview and his decision to resign.

Joshua Nevett
Political reporter

This isn’t the only resignation this evening.

Earlier this evening, before Carns resigned, Pamela Nash quit as parliamentary private secretary in the Ministry of Defence.

In her letter to the prime minister, the Labour MP says stepping down from the role is not “an action I take lightly”.

“The defence of our nation is the most important responsibility for any government,” she writes.

“The delays and difficulties with securing the necessary funding to progress the defence investment plan has been the latest issue that is damaging to the trust of the public in us.”

Nash says the government’s “successes are consistently drowned out by mistakes and the failure to be bold when it matters most,” adding “we must do better”.

Parliamentary private secretaries are unpaid assistants to government ministers.

Chris Mason
Political editor

What a bizarre evening.

At half seven I interviewed Al Carns, as a serving defence minister.

No sooner had we fed our video into our systems here, and he’d packed it in and left the government.

Image source, PA Media

Former armed forces minister Al Carns has resigned just hours after former Defence Secretary John Healey.

Who is he?

Since joining the military at 19, Carns served during four tours in Afghanistan, and was awarded the Military Cross in 2011 in recognition of his service - the citation for his actions remains classified.

He had a 24-year military career, including serving as a Royal Marine Commando, though much of it is shrouded in secrecy.

From 2017, he served as adviser to three UK defence secretaries, before being elected Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak during the 2024 General Election.

Carns was swiftly promoted to the position of veterans minister, and became minister for the armed forces in last September's reshuffle.

Al Carns is the seventh minister to step down in the past month, and the second today, following John Healey.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting left his post on 14 May.

Two days before, Jess Phillips resigned from her position as safeguarding minister.

On the same day, junior ministers Miatta Fahnbulleh, Alex Davies-Jones and Zubir Ahmed also resigned from the government.

In his resignation letter, Carns says "the character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement can keep up with".

He says the defence investment plan "is not built for the threat we face" and "is neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded.

"We are asking our Armed Forces to operate in a more dangerous world on a budget written for a calmer one," the letter adds.

"A strong country is not simply one with capable armed forces. It is one where working people feel economically secure, public services function, energy is resilient, communities are stable, and young people can see a future worth working towards."

Carns finishes the letter by saying he will "keep fighting for the people I served with" and hopes the government will do the same.

Image source, Al Carns

Image source, PA Media

Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigns from government hours after Defence Secretary John Healey stepped down.

In a letter to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he says: "It has been the privilege of my life to serve this country, first in uniform and then in government.

"I have said that there are issues facing this Department that do not lend themselves to easy answers, and that there needs to be agreement throughout the government about the scale of the challenges we face.

"It has become clear to me that the change I had pushed for is not going to come. Given the situation, I have decided to resign as Minister for the Armed Forces."

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Defence Secretary John Healey has become the sixth minister to tender his resignation from Keir Starmer's government in the past month.

In his resignation letter - which caught most Westminster-watchers off guard - Healey made clear his resignation was over defence funding.

Pressure has been mounting on the government to publish its defence investment plan.

Healey wrote that he viewed the plans in full for the first time on Monday, and said the money offered to his department falls "well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time".

He accused Starmer of being "unable" and the Treasury "unwilling" to "commit the resources that the nation needs".

In response a short while ago, Starmer insisted his funding plan would "provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe”.

Healey's successor is yet to be announced.

We're pausing our live coverage here, but you can keep up-to-date with the latest in our news story, or in this analysis piece from our political editor Chris Mason.

Image source, PA Media

In a message to staff at the Ministry of Defence, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton says: "There will be much written and said about the armed forces over the next few days.

"It is important that we remain apolitical and are not drawn into speculation about decisions that are for ministers to make.

"In uncertain times, it is more important than ever that we stay focused on our duty to defend the UK and its interests across the world without fear or favour."

"The work our armed forces do matters, and it matters more than it has done for many years."

At the bottom of the message, Knighton adds that he is looking forward to welcoming the new defence secretary.

"For now, thank you for everything that you do for the nation. You should be rightly proud of the role you play in keeping us safe."

Image source, PA Media

The former head of the British Army says he was "shocked" about the timing of John Healey's resignation but "not surprised as to the substance".

General Lord Richard Dannatt tells BBC News that if the chancellor does not have a "change of heart" and allocate more funding to defence spending, we will see a "continuing decline" in the UK's armed forces and and military capability.

He says that would lead to a "withering" of the deterrent effect, which he says the UK needs "to hold back someone like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's otherwise otherwise aggressive and expansionist intentions".

Dannatt adds: "We've got to show that we take seriously the defence of this country... we've got to put serious amounts of money extra into this budget."

He says not allocating more funding "absolutely increases the risk" to army personnel deployed, echoing Healey's assertion in his resignation letter that without an investment plan that "meets the moment", he would be forced to make decisions that "increase the risk to personnel on operations".

More now from the prime minister's letter to Healey.

Starmer says the world today "requires a serious response to build our economic resilience and our national defences".

The prime minister says the pair "have achieved a great deal working together" and he is "proud of our record on funding".

The defence investment plan "will allow our armed forces to transform and modernise and back them with the tools they need to change the way we fight — and to deter our enemies," the letter adds.

Starmer says the increases in spending outlined in the defence investment plan, which is yet to be released, "will be sustainable and fair" and "will mean significant reallocations of funding from across government departments".

He finishes the letter by saying: "Taking these decisions is never easy. I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises."