Dan Jarvis has been appointed Secretary of State for Defence after John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns both resigned from the Ministry of Defence on Thursday 11 June.
John Healey, who had held the Defence Secretary role since Labour’s general election victory in July 2024, stepped down citing disagreements over the level of funding allocated in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP). Al Carns — a decorated former Royal Marines Colonel and Special Boat Service veteran — followed with his own resignation within hours, also referencing concerns about defence modernisation and resourcing.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer moved swiftly to fill the vacancy, confirming Dan Jarvis as the new Defence Secretary the same evening. Jarvis brings a distinctive mix of military and ministerial experience to the post. A former Major in the Parachute Regiment, he served for 14 years across Kosovo, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland before entering politics. Elected as MP for Barnsley North in 2011, he went on to become the inaugural Mayor of South Yorkshire in 2018. Most recently he served as Security Minister in the Home Office — a role he held since Labour entered government in 2024 — with a Cabinet Office responsibility added in the September 2025 reshuffle.
“I am pleased to appoint Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary as we strengthen our armed forces and meet the growing threats facing our country.”
— Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
Jarvis takes on the role ahead of a NATO summit next week and with the formal publication of the Defence Investment Plan imminent.
