Former defence minister Al Carns turns down ministerial offer

Former defence minister Al Carns says he has turned down an offer to serve in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government.

Carns followed John Healey, then defence secretary, in resigning from former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government last month in a row over planned military funding, which both men said was not high enough.

At the time, Sir Keir replaced Healey with Dan Jarvis, increased funding for the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip) by a little but notably left a £4.7bn funding gap.

Now Carns says he has been offered a ministerial role by the chief whip, Anneliese Midgely, but declined because he is still concerned about defence funding.

Posting on social media, external, he said: “I resigned in June because I did not believe the defence funding on the table was adequate for the threats this country faces. I said so publicly and I still stand by every word.

“I’ve always said I would serve where I am asked. In normal circumstances, that is exactly what I would do, but the argument I resigned over has not yet been settled.”

Carns explained he believed to take up the offer of a government role would signal his fight for higher military funding was over, when he intends to keep making that case from the back benches.

However, he admitted the appointment of his former boss, Healey, as chancellor had moved the debate in the right direction. Healey faces the task of finding the extra money he believed the last government failed to deliver to keep the UK safe.

“John resigned for the same reasons I did,” Carns said.

“He is a man of his word and he has made it clear that he will deliver on the commitments that led him to leave government in the first place.

“The Prime Minister knows exactly what John stands for and that appointment is meaningful and I welcome it.”

Speaking earlier on Wednesday, new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he wanted to ensure “every penny is spent wisely” and investment in the armed forces must come with “modernisation”.

Burnham has said he wants to honour the UK’s commitments on defence spending, which includes meeting Nato’s core defence spending target of 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has questioned whether Burnham will increase spending to 3% in the current Parliament, which is due to run until 2029.