Defence Secretary John Healey has warned that Labour's "credibility in Government is at stake" in an apparent rebuke of leadership jockeying among rivals looking to oust Sir Keir Starmer. He urged colleagues to "get serious" and put Britain's security before politics in a speech in Westminster on Tuesday, following more than a week of turmoil after the party's May elections mauling.
Speculation has mounted over who might run in any challenge for No 10 after a path opened up for leadership hopeful Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to return to Westminster via the Makerfield by-election. Former health secretary Wes Streeting has made clear he intends to stand in any race, while armed forces minister Al Carns is also widely tipped as a contender.
In a speech at an event hosted by the Good Growth Foundation on Tuesday, Mr Healey said: "We must not lose sight now of the duty people gave us in 2024, the special opportunity of Government. We must not throw away so lightly the power we were given. I don't care about photo ops or PR firms. Politics – to me – is not about the individual. People will not forgive us if they think we're more concerned about ourselves than we are about them."
Asked in a media Q&A afterwards whether Mr Carns' promotional videos, for which he has reportedly claimed thousands in expenses, was an example of this, Mr Healey said his team of defence ministers had a "clearer duty and a bigger responsibility" at this moment to "stick to the task of Government".
"As far as photo opportunities and PR goes, those who know me know I've been pretty consistent over the years and on the first day that I walked through the main building on July 5 to speak to 300 odd people… I said to them I was more interested in results than photo opportunities. And that is fundamentally what we're in Government to do, and that is what I'm determined to do. And as a defence team of ministers, that is what we're doing, and I would say above all, we as a team of defence ministers at this time have a clearer duty and a bigger responsibility to stick to the task of Government and make sure that we do our jobs."
In a post on social media on Tuesday evening, Mr Carns said the videos had been "highlighting brilliant local charities, businesses, volunteers, public services and community groups is a pretty important part of the job." "Seems I have annoyed a few people about making videos in Selly Oak. It's the second time the same story has been commissioned," he said. "Politics can become far too focused on Westminster noise. I'd rather spend my time talking about the people trying to make our communities better." The Selly Oak MP added: "The facts – 24 videos were produced for £4,000 over a period of 22 months… go Selly Oak!"
Echoing former Tory cabinet minister Michael Gove in his speech, Mr Healey said "we govern by consent" and "through the way we behave, the change we deliver, the trust with the public". "And right now, the very credibility of Labour in Government is at stake," he said. "We must get serious. It's not about us, not about the insiders of politics, it's about the interests of the country. We must be a Government that steers Britain through the conflicts and looming crises we face, and be a party that manages ourselves in a constructive, well ordered way."
Mr Healey also talked up Sir Keir's record on the world stage, saying the Prime Minister had "shown time and again that he will step up and lead internationally". "Before Keir, there was no coalition of the willing for Ukraine, there was no multinational Hormuz mission, no Trinity House Agreement with Germany, Lunna House Agreement with Norway, no reboot of Lancaster House with France," he said. "And at the Munich Security Conference in February, Keir said, 'hard power is the currency of the age', and confirmed that, even after the largest spending increase on defence since the Cold War, we must 'spend more, faster'."
And he warned the bond market "cannot be told to obey the Government" as speculation mounts over how the economic agenda might change under a different Labour prime minister. "Just as fiscal credibility is a bedrock of economic security, so it is for our national security," he said. "Because beyond all the calculations about gilt yields, what counts for investors is sentiment about our country. They're making judgments about who we are, the maturity of our political system, our ability to rearm while maintaining sound public finances. Our willingness to make hard choices."
Asked what he thought defence would look like under a Burnham administration, Mr Healey said: "Hang on, one step at a time. Keir Starmer is the Prime Minister. There is no contest, there is no challenge."
Mr Healey also used the event to announce the Government has awarded 13 contracts to growing British technology companies in an effort to back homegrown defence innovation. The contracts – of up to £4 million each – will see the firms develop advanced sensors, autonomous systems, secure communications, space manufacturing and simulation training for the Armed Forces. The announcement comes as Sir Keir is expected to approve an £18 billion hike in defence spending, ending a months-long delay to the defence investment plan.
