Marles' AUKUS trip thrown into disarray as British defence secretary quits

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, left, and and Defence Secretary John Healey, second from right, pose with their Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Richard Marles before the shock announcement. (Pool: Kin Cheung via Reuters)

British Defence Secretary John Healey dramatically quit on Thursday, saying the government's failure to spend enough money in the sector had left him with no other option.

His decision came less than three hours before he was due to appear at a media event with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, which had to be cancelled.

Initially, staff at Australia's UK High Commission claimed the event, which included touring a naval base critical to the AUKUS defence partnership, would go ahead as planned.

Defence Minister Richard Marles's visit to the United Kingdom has been thrown into chaos, after his British counterpart resigned hours before they were due to hold a significant media event together.

Mr Marles, who is also Australia's deputy prime minister, is visiting the UK for a series of annual bilateral meetings, known as AUKMIN.

He and British Defence Secretary John Healey had been due to host an event in Portsmouth, a maritime city in England's south, at 2:45pm Thursday, local time (11:45pm AEST).

The pair had been due to tour a naval base critical to the AUKUS defence partnership, show journalists a "capabilities demonstration" and take questions.

However, Mr Healey, who has served as UK defence secretary since Labour swept to power in July 2024, announced his shock resignation via a social media post just after midday.

His decision blindsided many inside UK politics, and comes as an unwelcome distraction for the Australian delegation currently in Britain, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Initially, staff at Australia's UK High Commission insisted the media event would go ahead, but around 90 minutes before it was due to begin, they announced it had been cancelled and that Mr Marles would not be available for interviews.

In a two-page letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr Healey highlighted the government's failure to spend enough on defence meant he was "now left with no other option than to submit my resignation".

Ms Wong and Mr Marles had joined Mr Healey and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at a press conference in London on Wednesday afternoon, where the group spoke to reporters about the importance of the Britain-Australia relationship amid multiple global conflicts.

At that event, Mr Healey described Ms Wong and Mr Marles as his "good friends Penny and Richard".

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