John Healey (born 13 February 1960) is a British politician. He served as the Secretary of State for Defence from 2024 until his resignation on 11 June 2026. Mr. Healey is a member of the Labour Party. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1997. He represented Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, and before that, Wentworth and Wentworth and Dearne. Before becoming Defence Secretary, he held several important roles in government and in the opposition.

Born in Wakefield, John Healey went to Lady Lumley's School and St Peter's School, York. He then studied at Christ's College, Cambridge. After university, he worked as a journalist and later as a campaigner for disability rights. He also worked in communications and managed campaigns for different groups and trade unions. He was first elected to Parliament in 1997. He served in various junior government roles from 2001 to 2010 under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

After the 2010 general election, he joined the Shadow Cabinet. This is a group of opposition politicians who would be ministers if their party were in power. He served as Shadow Secretary of State for Health and later as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing. In 2020, he became Shadow Secretary of State for Defence. In this role, he pushed for more military spending and stronger ties with NATO. After the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Mr. Healey became the Secretary of State for Defence. He resigned from this role in June 2026 due to disagreements about defence spending.

Early Life and Education
Parliamentary Career
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

John Healey was born on 13 February 1960 in Wakefield, England. His father worked for the prison service. John first attended Lady Lumley's School in Pickering. He then went to St Peter's School, York for his final years of school. He studied social and political science at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he earned his degree in 1982.

After university, Mr. Healey worked as a journalist for a year. He was also the deputy editor of The House, a magazine about the Palace of Westminster. In 1984, he started working full-time as a campaigner for disability rights for several charities.

In 1990, Mr. Healey became a campaign manager. He then led communications for a trade union called Manufacturing, Science and Finance in 1992. From 1994, he was the campaign director for the Trades Union Congress until he was elected to Parliament. He also taught at the Open University Business School.

Parliamentary Career

Mr. Healey first tried to become an MP in the 1992 general election. He ran for the Ryedale area but did not win.

Serving in Government (1997–2010)

First Election to Parliament

In the 1997 general election, John Healey ran for the Wentworth area. He won with a large number of votes.

From 1997, he was part of a special committee that looked at education and employment. In 1999, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gordon Brown, who was then the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This role meant he helped Mr. Brown with his work.

Junior Minister Roles

After the 2001 general election, Mr. Healey was re-elected. He was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Adult Skills. This meant he helped with education for adults.

He was re-elected again in the 2005 general election. In 2007, he moved to a new role in the Department for Communities and Local Government. He helped with recovery efforts after widespread flooding in the UK that year.

In 2009, he became Minister of State for Housing and Planning. In this role, he was criticized for some of his ideas about housing.

Working in Opposition (2010–2024)

Shadow Cabinet Roles

In the 2010 general election, Mr. Healey was elected as the MP for the new area of Wentworth and Dearne.

He was chosen to be part of the Shadow Cabinet in 2010. He became the Shadow Secretary of State for Health. He stepped down from this role in 2011 to spend more time with his family.

Official portrait, 2017

Returning to the Backbenches

Mr. Healey was re-elected in the 2015 general election.

In 2015, he and two other MPs took legal action against a politician who made false claims about them. They won the case and were awarded damages in 2017.

Under Jeremy Corbyn's Leadership

After Jeremy Corbyn became the leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Healey was appointed Shadow Minister for Housing. He supported another politician in a leadership contest in 2016. After this, he became Shadow Secretary of State for Housing in October 2016.

He was re-elected in the 2017 general election and again in the 2019 general election.

Official portrait, 2020

Under Keir Starmer's Leadership

After Sir Keir Starmer became the leader of the Labour Party in 2020, Mr. Healey was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Defence.

As Shadow Defence Secretary, he strongly supported Ukraine. He said that the UK should continue to help the country. In May 2024, he visited Kyiv and met with Ukrainian officials. He stated that a future Labour government would have a very strong commitment to Ukraine.

Mr. Healey also argued for more money to be spent on the British military. He wanted a larger armed force and closer teamwork with NATO and other European countries on security. He believed NATO needed to do more to protect Europe.

In April 2024, he promised to increase Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of the country's income by 2030. In June 2024, he and Keir Starmer announced a plan to build new Dreadnought-class submarines. These submarines would replace the older Vanguard-class submarines and ensure Britain's nuclear defence.

He had previously supported a military action in Iraq in 2003. In 2024, he reflected that such actions need careful planning beyond just fighting to be successful.

Secretary of State for Defence (2024–2026)

Healey with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on 10 December 2025

Due to changes in parliamentary areas, Mr. Healey's old constituency was replaced. In the 2024 general election, he was elected as the MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough. After Labour won the election, Mr. Healey was appointed Secretary of State for Defence by Prime Minister Starmer on 5 July 2024. Soon after, he visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odessa.

Mr. Healey attended the 2024 NATO Summit in July. He told reporters that Britain would be a "leading European nation" in defence spending. He also said Britain would be "democracy's most reliable ally." He acknowledged that European countries needed to take on more responsibility for security.

Healey with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Arlington National Cemetery, USA on 11 July 2024

He supported a major review of Britain's defence forces. He said it would look at the military's condition and future threats. The goal was to spend 2.5% of the national income on defence. After taking office, Mr. Healey stated that problems in the British military were "worse than we thought." He warned of "rapidly increasing global threats." Following a financial check, he also warned of possible cuts to defence spending due to a large financial problem.

Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Qatar's prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, 31 July 2024

In October 2024, Mr. Healey signed an important agreement with Germany to work together more closely on defence. In November 2024, he announced that older military equipment, including warships and aircraft, would be removed from service. This was to save money and invest in newer, more advanced weapons. He also launched a new plan to support UK-based defence companies. In January 2025, the UK government bought back military housing properties to save money on rent.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Mr. Healey quickly directed officials to send more military aid, including artillery and missiles. In February 2025, he stated that there could be no peace talks about Ukraine without Ukraine's involvement.

In October 2024, Mr. Healey spoke out against Chinese military exercises near Taiwan. In July 2025, he said the UK was ready to work with Australia to defend Taiwan if needed.

In February 2026, Mr. Healey faced criticism from another political party regarding his statements about the future of a British territory and a military base. They questioned his claims about potential legal problems if the territory was not given to another country.

Defence Spending Disputes and Resignation

On 11 June 2026, John Healey resigned as the British Secretary of State for Defence. He stated that he disagreed with the government's plans for defence spending. In his resignation letter, he argued that the funding plan was not enough to meet the UK's growing security needs. He believed it would delay important investments and reduce the military's readiness.

Mr. Healey highlighted that new global conflicts and the need to protect important shipping routes had greatly increased demands on British forces. He felt that Prime Minister Starmer and the Treasury were not providing enough money for this unstable global situation. He said he had no choice but to resign rather than risk national safety. While he praised the government's work in defence, he could not support a funding plan that he believed did not give the armed forces the resources they needed.

His resignation, along with new global challenges, was widely reported as a sudden and impactful event for Prime Minister Starmer's government. On the same day, Al Carns, another minister in the armed forces, also resigned over the defence spending plans. Mr. Healey's Parliamentary Private Secretary, Pamela Nash, also stepped down, citing difficulties in securing necessary funding.

Personal Life

John Healey married Jackie Bate on 25 October 1993. They have one son.

John Healey facts for kids

Contents