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The Right HonourableJohn HealeyMP
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Defence
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Grant Shapps
Minister of State for Housing and Planning
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	Grant Shapps
Junior ministerial offices 2007–2009 Local Government 2005–2007 Financial Secretary 2002–2005 Economic Secretary 2001–2002 Adult Skills
Shadow cabinet portfolios 2020–2024 Defence 2015–2020 Housing 2010–2011 Health 2010–2010 Housing
Member of Parliament for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough Wentworth and Dearne (2010–2024) Wentworth (1997–2010)
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Peter Hardy
Majority	6,908 (20.4%)
Personal details
Born	(1960-02-13) 13 February 1960 (age 64) Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Jackie Bate ​(m. 1993)​
Children	1
Education	St Peter's School, York
Alma mater	Christ's College, Cambridge (BA)
Website	Official website

John Healey (born 13 February 1960) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Defence since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, previously Wentworth and Wentworth and Dearne, since 1997.

Healey served under Tony Blair as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Adult Skills from 2001 to 2002, as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2002 to 2005, Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 2005 to 2007, 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 the Shadow Cabinet and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health by Ed Miliband. He stood down from the role in October 2011 and was succeeded by Andy Burnham. 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.

Early life and career

John Healey was born on 13 February 1960 in Wakefield, the son of Aidan Healey OBE. He was educated at the Lady Lumley's School in Pickering before attending the independent St Peter's School, York for sixth form. He studied Social and Political Science at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he received a BA in 1982.

Healey worked as a journalist and the deputy editor of The House, the internal magazine of the Palace of Westminster, for a year in 1983. In 1984 he became a full-time disability rights campaigner for several national charities.

Healey joined Issues Communications in 1990 as a campaign manager before becoming the head of communications at the Manufacturing, Science and Finance trade union in 1992. He was appointed as the campaign director with the Trades Union Congress in 1994, in which capacity he remained until his election to the House of Commons. He was also a tutor at the Open University Business School.

Parliamentary career

Healey's first attempt to enter Parliament was as candidate for Ryedale at the 1992 general election, where he finished in third with 13.8% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP John Greenway and the Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Shields.

In government (1997–2010)

At the 1997 general election, Healey was the Labour Party candidate for Wentworth, which had become available following the retirement of the Labour MP Peter Hardy. Healey was elected to Parliament with 72.3% of the vote and a majority of 23,959.

Healey served as a member of the education and employment select committee from 1997 until he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in 1999.

At the 2001 general election, Healey was re-elected as MP for Wentworth with a decreased vote share of 67.5% and a decreased majority of 16,449. Following the election, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Adult Skills at the Department for Education and Skills.

At the 2005 general election Healey was again re-elected with a decreased vote share of 59.6% and a decreased majority of 15,056.

On 29 June 2007, Healey was moved to the Department for Communities and Local Government as a result of a government reshuffle. Shortly after his appointment he assumed responsibility for assisting the recovery from widespread flooding across the United Kingdom.

In a Cabinet reshuffle on 5 June 2009, he was appointed Minister of State for Housing and Planning, replacing Margaret Beckett who had resigned. While Minister of State for Housing and Planning, he was criticised for suggesting that more people renting properties rather than buying their own homes was a good thing.

In opposition (2010–2024)

At the 2010 general election Healey was elected to Parliament as the MP for the newly created constituency of Wentworth and Dearne with 50.6% of the vote and a majority of 13,920.

Healey came second in the election for the shadow cabinet in 2010, and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health. He resigned from this position in 2011 in order to spend more time with his family.

At the 2015 general election Healey was re-elected as MP for Wentworth and Dearne with an increased vote share of 56.3% and a decreased majority of 13,838.

In 2015 three Rotherham Labour MPs, Kevin Barron, Sarah Champion and Healey, started a defamation legal action against UKIP MEP Jane Collins after Collins falsely alleged in a UKIP conference speech that the three MPs knew about child exploitation in Rotherham but did not intervene. In February 2017 the MPs were awarded £54,000 each in damages.

Following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader, Healey was appointed Shadow Minister for Housing. He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election. Following the leadership election, Healey was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Housing in October 2016.

At the snap 2017 general election Healey was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 65% and an increased majority of 14,803. He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 40.3% and a decreased majority of 2,165.

Shadow cabinet

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

As Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Healey has repeatedly stressed his support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war since Russia's invasion in 2022, endorsed the UK's support for Ukraine, and committed to continue Britain's support for Ukraine in any future Labour government. In May 2024, Healey visited Kyiv along with Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy and met the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. In a joint statement, Healey and Lammy stated: "The next Labour government's commitment to Ukraine will be ironclad, and European security will be our first foreign and defence priority."

Healey has argued in favour of higher spending on the British military with a larger armed force, closer co-operation and leadership with NATO and European nations over security and defence matters, and for a "comprehensive UK-Germany defence and security pact". Healey has said that NATO will need to do more "heavy-lifting' in Europe, as the winner of the 2024 US Presidential Election is likely to prioritise the threat of China.

In April 2024, Healey committed to raising Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of Britain's GDP by 2030 and commissioning a strategic review of the threats to Britain and its capabilities. In June 2024, he and Starmer announced Labour's nuclear deterrent "triple lock", pledging to build four Dreadnought-class submarines to replace Britain's existing Vanguard-class submarines, maintain a continuous at-sea deterrent, and deliver needed upgrades now and in future.

Healey voted in favour of British participation in the 2003 Iraq War. In 2024, he said that the decision to go to war "wasn't sound at the time" and said the lesson was that military intervention could not have a successful outcome without sufficient diplomatic, economic, and security follow-through.

Secretary of State for Defence (2024–present)

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Healey's constituency of Wentworth and Dearne was abolished, and replaced with Rawmarsh and Conisbrough. At the 2024 general election, Healey was elected to Parliament as MP for Rawmarsh and Conisborough with 49% of the vote and a majority of 6,908. After Labour's victory at the general election, Healey was appointed Secretary of State for Defence by Starmer on 5 July. Healey visited Ukraine shortly after being appointed Defence Secretary, meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Odessa.

Healey alongside Starmer, attended the 2024 NATO Summit on 9 July, where he told reporters in that Britain will be the "leading European nation" in defence spending and declared that Britain will be "democracy's most reliable ally". Healey said that he acknowledged that the European members of the alliance, have to take on more responsibility in guarding both Ukraine and the west against Russia and also the need to cooperate with the US regardless of who is inside the White House.

Healey supported the government's "root and branch" defence review and hailed it as the "first of its kind" which would consider the state of the armed forces, threats to national security and the defence capabilities needed to address with ultimate the goal of spending 2.5% of national income on defence. Upon taking office, Healey said that problems in the British military were "worse than we thought" after a defence review was conducted by the new government. He noted that "these are serious times" with "rapidly increasing global threats" and said that he wanted to avoid "age-old tactics" by the armed forces over funds to back pet projects. Following a financial audit conducted by the government following the election, Healey warned of possible cuts on defence spending as "tough choices" lie ahead to tackle the £22 billion "black hole" in public finances.

On 3 September, the government announced that it had suspended 30 out of 350 export licences to Israel which faced criticism from both politicians and the Jewish community. The criticism was due to the timing of the suspension, as it took place on the same day as the funerals of six murdered hostages were held. Healey responded by saying that it was the government's "legal responsibility" to review export licences and to judge "whether there is a clear risk that anything we supply from this country could be linked to a serious violation of international humanitarian law". Healey stated that "without fear or favour" the government will subscribe to international law in reference to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan applying arrest warrants against three senior Hamas officials alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Healey also further stated that failure to recognise the ICC ruling will threaten global "rules-based order".

Personal life

Healey married Jackie Bate on 25 October 1993 in Lambeth and they have one son.

References

1. "Shadow Housing Secretary returns to St Peter's". www.stpetersyork.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
2. Hetherington, Peter (24 July 2007). "More power to the regions". The Guardian. London.
3. ^ "PolicyMogul". policymogul.com. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
4. "About John". John Healey MP. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
5. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
6. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
7. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
8. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
9. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
10. "John Healey, housing minister, attacked for lauding fall in ownership". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
11. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
12. "Election results: Wentworth & Dearne". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
13. "Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet". BBC News. 8 October 2013.
14. Stratton, Allegra (7 October 2011). "Ed Miliband to bring former ministers into shadow cabinet in reshuffle". The Guardian.
15. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. "Wentworth & Dearne". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
17. "Jane Collins defamation case: Labour Rotherham MPs awarded £54,000". BBC News. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
18. "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
19. "Wentworth & Dearne", BBC News
20. "Statement of Persons Nominated, Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations". Rotherham Council. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
21. "Wentworth & Dearne Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
22. "John Healey Appointed Shadow Defence Secretary". British Forces Broadcasting Service. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
23. ^ Healey, John (28 February 2024). "A New Era for UK Defence with Labour". Policy Exchange. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
24. Healey, John (11 September 2023). "Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
25. "London Defence Conference: Defence and security will be priorities, say Labour". King's College London. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
26. McKiernan, Jennifer (13 May 2024). "Labour pledges 'iron-clad' support for Ukraine against Putin". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
27. Fraser, Tali (16 June 2023). "The John Healey interview: 'We are falling short on our Nato obligations'". Politics Home. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
28. Wright, Oliver (3 June 2024). "Ex-forces candidates prove Labour is party of defence, says Starmer". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
29. Gallardo, Christina (9 March 2023). "Labour urges 'realism' on UK's Indo-Pacific military ambitions". Politico. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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31. John Healey MP, Wentworth voted strongly for the policy Iraq 2003 – For the invasion. PublicWhip. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
32. ^ Boffey, Daniel (22 March 2024). "John Healey: frontbench veteran uniquely equipped to ready Labour for office". The Guardian.
33. "Rawmarsh and Conisbrough results". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
34. "RESULTS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION: THURSDAY 4 JULY 2024". Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
35. "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
36. Ryan, Missy (11 July 2024). "Britain's new government vows to prioritize Ukraine fight". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
37. Sabbagh, Dan (10 July 2024). "UK will be 'leading European nation' in Nato, defence secretary pledges". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
38. Diver, Tony (10 July 2024). "Britain will be 'democracy's most reliable ally', John Healey tells Nato". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
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45. "Gaza: Labour Government will apply international law 'without fear or favour'". www.shropshirestar.com. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.

External links

• John Healey MP official constituency website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

v t e Starmer Cabinet
Cabinet members	Keir Starmer Angela Rayner Heidi Alexander Hilary Benn Yvette Cooper John Healey Liz Kendall Peter Kyle David Lammy Shabana Mahmood Pat McFadden Ed Miliband Ian Murray Lisa Nandy Bridget Phillipson Lucy Powell Steve Reed Rachel Reeves Jonathan Reynolds Angela Smith Jo Stevens Wes Streeting
Also attending meetings	Alan Campbell Darren Jones Richard Hermer Anneliese Dodds Ellie Reeves
Departures	Louise Haigh

v t e Defence secretaries of the United Kingdom
Ministers for co-ordination of defence	Sir Thomas Inskip Lord Chatfield
Ministers for defence	Winston Churchill Clement Attlee A. V. Alexander Manny Shinwell Winston Churchill Harold Alexander Harold Macmillan Selwyn Lloyd Sir Walter Monckton Anthony Head Duncan Sandys Harold Watkinson Peter Thorneycroft
Secretaries of state for defence	Peter Thorneycroft Denis Healey Lord Carrington Ian Gilmour Roy Mason Fred Mulley Francis Pym John Nott Michael Heseltine George Younger Tom King Malcolm Rifkind Michael Portillo George Robertson Geoff Hoon John Reid Des Browne John Hutton Bob Ainsworth Liam Fox Philip Hammond Michael Fallon Gavin Williamson Penny Mordaunt Ben Wallace Grant Shapps John Healey

v t e Brown Cabinet
Cabinet members	Gordon Brown Lord Adonis Bob Ainsworth Douglas Alexander Baroness Ashton of Upholland Ed Balls Hilary Benn Hazel Blears Ben Bradshaw Des Browne Liam Byrne Andy Burnham Yvette Cooper Alistair Darling John Denham Peter Hain Harriet Harman Geoff Hoon John Hutton Alan Johnson Tessa Jowell Ruth Kelly Lord Mandelson David Miliband Ed Miliband Jim Murphy Paul Murphy James Purnell Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Jacqui Smith Jack Straw Shaun Woodward
Also attended meetings	Margaret Beckett Nick Brown Lord Drayson Caroline Flint Lord Grocott John Healey Jim Knight Lord Malloch-Brown Pat McFadden Tony McNulty Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Attended while on agenda	Beverley Hughes Sadiq Khan Dawn Primarolo Rosie Winterton

v t e One Nation Labour
Key figures	Ed Miliband Harriet Harman Douglas Alexander Ed Balls Lord Bassam of Brighton Hilary Benn Andy Burnham Liam Byrne Vernon Coaker Yvette Cooper Mary Creagh Margaret Curran John Denham Gloria De Piero Michael Dugher Angela Eagle Maria Eagle Caroline Flint Peter Hain John Healey Meg Hillier Tristram Hunt Alan Johnson Tessa Jowell Sadiq Khan Chris Leslie Ivan Lewis Ann McKechin Jim Murphy Lucy Powell Rachel Reeves Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Owen Smith Jon Trickett Stephen Twigg Chuka Umunna Tom Watson Shaun Woodward
Political ethos	Benjamin Disraeli Clement Attlee
Elections	2011 local elections 2012 local elections 2013 local elections 2014 local elections 2015 local elections 2015 general election
Leadership elections	2010 2015
Related	Labour Party leadership of Ed Miliband Labour Party (UK)
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