Unite’s Graham pines for Healey exit

Unite — Sharon Graham’s call for looser fiscal rules to fund military spending was slammed by Stop the War’s officer, Shabbir Lakha.

Graham was mourning the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary, who resigned citing Starmer and his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as not ‘serious’ enough about spending huge amounts of our money on military build-up.

Lakha pointed out that the government is already cutting 1% of all capital budgets to pay for this defence hike, and that Healey resigned to demand even more.

He slammed her, as the leader of one of the biggest unions in the country, for actively campaigning for welfare and public sector cuts.

Graham, Unite’s secretary, has frequently demanded more military spending.

Let’s be clear about this: the govt is already cutting 1% of all capital budgets to fund this military spending hike, Healey resigned to demand even more. The leader of one of then biggest unions in the country is actively campaigning for welfare and public sector cuts. https://t.co/dhTnx3Lg3O

— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) June 12, 2026

Unite’s Graham wants fiscal loosening

She claimed John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary “laid bare the utter chaos at the heart of government.”

The accompanying press release from Unite, headlined “John Healey’s resignation lays bare DIP delay and underfunding is risking jobs and national security,” described the situation as an “underfunding” crisis.

According to the FT, the defence plan is expected to include between £13.5bn and £15bn in extra spending for defence up until 2030 — less than the £18bn minimum that Healey had wanted and far short of the £28bn shortfall in the MoD’s current plans.

Warmongers mourn

The warmongering Graham and the warmongering media are sadly opining about the resignation of Healey.

FT called him “collegial, moderate and prodigiously hard-working.”

They praised him for his relationships with the Trump admin. FT said:

Healey has also cultivated decent relations with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth, the outspoken former Fox News host and veteran.

“He’s done well with Pete Hegseth. They get along, although they are very different characters,” one military figure said.

Bloomberg quoted the arms dealers’ trade association lamenting Healey’s departure.

“His resignation today is something to lament, and is truly a damning reflection on the current state of affairs,” said Kevin Craven, chief executive officer of ADS, the UK’s trade body for the aerospace, defense, security and space sectors

Bloomberg said his resignation had been “particularly surprising” given that he has been one of “the most loyal Labour figures for more than three decades.”

Graham, like FT and Bloomberg, is speaking for defence contractors.

The working class deserves a union leader who fights for them and can deliver jobs that are not meant to aid a genocide.

Featured image via Christopher Furlong/Getty Images