I don’t blame Andy Burnham for being furious that Sir Keir Starmer is trying to rush through his ill-fated Defence Investment Plan before he leaves Downing Street.
The DIP was the trigger which finally doomed Starmer’s premiership, when the paucity of the financial settlement on offer pushed John Healey to resign as defence secretary.
Healey showed himself to be an honourable politician by his decision to resign over an insultingly small financial offer for his department a fortnight ago. That’s a test that many of his predecessors have failed, preferring to cling to office even while the military crumbles beneath their feet rather than to leave the top table entirely.
Given the Prime Minister’s dire approval ratings, plenty of people felt grateful to Healey for precipitating Starmer’s departure from office. Once the resignation became public, the end was inevitable.
But the former defence secretary’s gift to the nation is far greater than that. Prime ministers come and go – and this one sometimes seemed like he wasn’t sure which – but for many years the defence of the nation has been a poor relation when it comes to Westminster budget battles.
