Keir Starmer has vowed to fight any potential leadership contest out of "a very deep sense of duty".

Speaking to the BBC, the Prime Minister said: "I don't think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight. And let me just be clear with you. That's not about personal vanity. It's not about stubbornness. It's out of a very deep sense of duty."

It comes as his government has been shaken to its core after two esteemed defence ministers resigned with devastating criticism of military spending plans. The PM was dealt a significant blow on Thursday after the shock resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey, triggering a crisis in the Ministry of Defence.

Hours later Al Carns, a former Royal Marine, quit as Armed Forces Minister with a withering broadside criticising "inadequate" defence funding. Pamela Nash, a ministerial aide in the department, also resigned tonight, and Rachel Hopkins, another aide, walked out.

Ministers have been locked in a tense battle over how to fund the long-awaited defence investment plan (DIP), which is already more than six months late. In his blistering resignation letter, Mr Healey accused the PM of not standing up to the Treasury, which he claimed was unwilling to commit the funds needed to defend the nation

Mr Starmer has vowed to release the plan by the NATO summit on July 7.

The Mirror Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailymirror
The Mirror IG: http://instagram.com/dailymirror
The Mirror TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymirror
The Mirror Twitter: http://twitter.com/DailyMirror
The Mirror Homepage: https://www.mirror.co.uk

Sign up for our newsletters: https://www.mirror.co.uk/email

#keirstarmer #uknews #ukpolitics