New defence secretary to ‘reprioritise’ UK plan for military spending, say sources

Starmer ‘can’t sack him or let him resign’, says ally of Dan Jarvis after predecessor’s resignation

The new defence secretary is to revisit a controversial plan for funding the armed forces and may return to demand more cash from the Treasury, allies have said.

Multiple government sources said Dan Jarvis would look to “reprioritise” aspects of the defence investment plan (Dip), which was delayed until July after the resignation of John Healey following a disagreement over its funding.

An ally of Jarvis said he would have a strong hand in future negotiations with Keir Starmer , who is facing a possible leadership challenge from Andy Burnham. “They can’t sack him [Jarvis] or let him resign,” the ally said.

The prime minister will meet world leaders at the G7 summit in France on Monday afternoon, with the defence row casting a shadow over the meeting, where leaders are expected to discuss the threats from both Russia and Iran.

Healey resigned as defence secretary on Thursday , saying he would not accept a Dip settlement that did not “give our forces the resources they need”. He accused the Treasury of being unwilling to provide the funds “to defend the country at this time of rising threats”.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said discussions about the Dip were “ongoing” and that her department was among those still in conversation with the Treasury about finding further sums to fund defence.

But other senior sources said there were likely to be tweaks “within the Dip” rather than offers of extra cash, suggesting that Jarvis might be able to free up money by axing projects Healey had been unwilling to cut.