John Healey, MP since 1997, Secretary of State for Defense

Monday, July 8th 2024 - 08:01 UTC

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Secretary Healey, ”We will cooperate closely with allies and partners to protect the values at the heart of our democracies.”

The Falkland Islands Government Office in London congratulated John Healey MP on his appointment as Secretary of State for Defense. And in an X message underlined that FIGO looks forward to working with Secretary Healey for the benefit of UK and the Falklands.

In one of his first statements the new Secretary for Defense said that, ”It is an honor to have been asked to serve in this role and to have the chance to work with our Armed Forces and civilian defense staff.

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and protect our citizens. We are proud of the professionalism and dedication of those serving the UK, both in and out of uniform. In this new era of threat, challenge and instability, this government is fully committed to strengthening our Armed Forces and setting out a clear path to 2.5% of GDP on defense. Next week I will attend the 75th anniversary summit of NATO in Washington DC. This government’s commitment to NATO is unshakeable, as is our commitment to the nuclear deterrent. We will cooperate closely with allies and partners to protect the values at the heart of our democracies.”

John Healey has been the Member for Parliament (MP) for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, formerly Wentworth and Dearne since 1997.

Healey served under Tony Blair as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Adult Skills from 1997 to 2001, as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2002 to 2005.and under Gordon Brown as Minister of State for Local Government from 2007 to 2009 and as Minister of State for Housing and Planning from 2009 to 2010.

Following the 2010 general election he was elected to be Shadow Cabinet and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health. He also served as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing from 2016 to 2020 under Jeremy Corbyn and worked alongside Andrew Gwynne, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Following the election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party, Healey was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Defense in 2020.