'Healey torpedoes Starmer' and 'Game on!'

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News image — Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation dominates Friday's papers. "Healey torpedoes Starmer" is the The Daily Telegraph's headline. His resignation letter accuses Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "unable" - and the Treasury "unwilling" - to invest the money needed to defend the UK.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: "Healey torpedoes Starmer." — Defence Secretary John Healey's resignation dominates Friday's papers. "Healey torpedoes Starmer" is the The Daily Telegraph's headline. His resignation letter accuses Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "unable" - and the Treasury "unwilling" - to invest the money needed to defend the UK.

The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Healey's shock resignation leaves Starmer on the brink." — The Guardian says the prime minister's leadership has been "pushed to the brink" with Healey's "shock resignation" and risks "shredding his remaining political authority". Elsewhere, it is "game on" for the 2026 World Cup which got under way on Thursday with a 2-0 win for host nation Mexico against South Africa. Singer Shakira is pictured on the front page performing at the opening ceremony before the match.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "PM's defence plans could make us less safe." — The Daily Express carries further details from Healey's resignation letter, including his claim that defence funding plans signed off by the prime minister could make the UK "less safe". In response, Sir Keir has said the funding plan "will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe".

The headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: "Prime Minister failing to defend nation, claims UK Defence Secretary." — The i Paper describes Healey's resignation as a "devastating critique" to the prime minister and chancellor as both fight for their political futures.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "God help us!" — The Daily Mail says the plan will see defence spending increase by 0.08% of GDP - short of the 3% Healey was pushing for.

The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "Cash row costs PM his defence ministers." — Hours after Healey's resignation, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns followed in his footsteps along with two parliamentary private secretaries in the Ministry of Defence, the Times says.

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Thanks but no tanks." — The Sun describes the string of resignations as an "MoD mutiny".

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads: "Endgame nears for Starmer as ministers quit over forces cash." — "Endgame nears for Starmer," says the Independent, quoting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch as saying Sir Keir's premiership is "falling apart".

The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: "Our defence is in crisis!" — "Our defence in crisis" is Metro's headline, noting that Healey is the sixth Cabinet minister to resign in the past month.

The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: "Healey quits over defence budget hole in heavy blow to Starmer's authority." — The Financial Times says Healey's departure "lays bare growing divisions in the Labour Party" as a potential leadership challenge from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham looms, should he win next week's by-election (see the full list of candidates here).

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "Joy of Mex!" — And the Daily Star splashes on the "joy of Mex" in its coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony and victory for Mexico.

"Healey torpedoes Starmer," declares the Daily Telegraph, as almost all of the front pages lead on the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey. The Telegraph says Healey announced his departure in a "stinging" letter to the prime minister. The Sun says it was a "blistering attack" with Healey claiming planned spending was nowhere near enough to defend the country. "Thanks but no Tanks," is the paper's headline.

That planned figure, according to the Daily Mail, would reportedly see defence spending go up by just 0.08% of GDP by the end of the decade. The paper claims Chancellor Rachel Reeves has opted for "benefits, not bullets" despite "rising threats across the world".

Metro says John Healey's resignation has "plunged" the "embattled" prime minister "into yet another crisis". The Guardian claims the "shock" departure has left Sir Keir Starmer "on the brink". The paper says the affair has "undermined his security credentials" and risks shredding his remaining political authority.

Pictures of the pop star, Shakira, performing during the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Mexico appear on most of the front pages. "Greatest show in the world is finally here," is the Daily Express headline. The Times notes that "these days" you cannot say the World Cup is under way without a "proper" opening ceremony - namely "an army of ambulant feather dusters rotating around a 20-foot Fifa World Cup trophy".

And as the fans celebrate the start of the World Cup, the Times highlights what it calls an "NHS own goal". A hospital reportedly offered to send a tablet costing as little as 50p in a taxi to the former deputy chief medical officer for England, Prof Jonathan van Tam. The taxi bill was calculated at £70 - a situation the paper says was "hard to swallow".

'Healey torpedoes Starmer' and 'Game on!'

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