Healey Resignation

[Papyrophile]

John Healey resigns! Another nail in SKS's coffin, or the only way to force a showdown?

We have the threat from Russia, with have the complete pig’s ear we made with the deployment to Cyprus recently.

We just chose to ignore an increasingly difficult and destabilised world wide situation.

I missed that … he should have leapt at the opportunity to take a cross-party approach as that would have limited the people who could have criticised the amount agreed.

Now Kemi will have a field day with him (again…)

If you want something fucked up - give it the clowns in this wretched government.

They are experts in this.

There’s only one PMQ left before the by-election. He’ll be limping wounded by then.

Labour better hope for a win to get the empty leader out.

The thing is that defence spending can help with job creation and can help the economy.

It’s political madness to sink it.

Over the Burnham - what’s his policy on Defence?

Watch him fudge and u-turn.

If he’s got any sense he will suggest “we should adopt a cross-party approach”.

He may be starting to think he might prefer to stay as Mayor…

I genuinely considered that, too.

He’s clearly not blessed with a towering intellect.

He won’t.

But let’s see.

It was a mistake by Starmer to let it get to this with Healey resigning.

Amazing really given the total lack of mistakes he has made thus far.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Andy Burnham doesn't win Makerfield.
I really want this country to have stable and sensible government but that seems increasingly unlikely. The UK seems really adrift at the moment with so many divisions.

This latest resignation won't help. I have tried to give Keir Starmer the benefit of the doubt but he really doesn't seem to know what he is doing.

Labour actually have some half-decent ex-Forces MPs and friendly faces at command level. The choice for SKS is going to be between a Treasury loyalist, who will pare away at the DIP and the future spending commitments: Darren Jones is being bruited about, or an ex-military figure who would probably turn down the SoS job, because of this. The horns of a dilemma

Same … I have also given Keir Starmer the benefit of the doubt about a few things but this latest thing with the defence spending- it’s hard to justify.

You are very kind!

I think it may be rather that serving as Starmer's SoS will impact his chances of being in the next Cabinet, but I am a cynical old bat!

Sharon Graham (UNITE), John McDonnell and Ed Davey also weighing in in the last half hour. A lone (anonymous) Government spokesman is defending SKS.

Telegraph live update service is providing a blow by blow account, and I don't think it's behind the pay wall.

I’m probably being naive.

Geoff Hoon and Lord Hutton, also former SoS for Defence have joined the fray. Hoon is suggesting that it is time to revisit the welfare debate and ask if any MPs have changed their opinions.

Hutton is just calling it a car crash.