To lose one defence minister might be regarded as misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Al Carns has followed John Healey out of the door at the Ministry of Defence tonight, firing off a two-page letter that makes his disagreements with Keir Starmer clear. The only mystery about Carns’s resignation was why it didn’t

Healey accused the prime minister of failing to commit the resources needed to protect the country from rising threats.

The extraordinary move stunned the government, heightening the instability of Keir Starmer’s leadership