Marles blindsided, cancels event after UK counterpart's shock resignation

Defence Minister Richard Marles's visit to the United Kingdom has been thrown into chaos, after his British counterpart resigned hours before they were due to hold a significant media event together. Mr Marles, who is also Australia's deputy prime minister, is visiting the UK for a series of annual bilateral meetings, known as AUKMIN. He and British Defence Secretary John Healey had been due to host an event in Portsmouth, a maritime city in England's south, at 2:45pm Thursday, local time (11:45pm AEST). The pair had been due to tour a naval base critical to the AUKUS defence partnership, show journalists a "capabilities demonstration" and take questions. However, Mr Healey, who has served as UK defence secretary since Labour swept to power in July 2024, announced his shock resignation via a social media post just after midday. His decision blindsided many inside UK politics, and comes as an unwelcome distraction for the Australian delegation currently in Britain, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Initially, staff at Australia's UK High Commission insisted the media event would go ahead, but around 90 minutes before it was due to begin, they announced it had been cancelled and that Mr Marles would not be available for interviews. In a two-page letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr Healey highlighted the government's failure to spend enough on defence meant he was "now left with no other option than to submit my resignation". Ms Wong and Mr Marles had joined Mr Healey and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at a press conference in London on Wednesday afternoon, where the group spoke to reporters about the importance of the Britain-Australia relationship amid multiple global conflicts. At that event, Mr Healey described Ms Wong and Mr Marles as his "good friends Penny and Richard". "Since we met 12 months ago, the world has changed," he said. "More dangerous, more uncertain. "The Iran war is changing the Middle East. It's hitting our people at home. Putin's aggression is increasing. And the US is demanding nations, whether they're in the Indo-Pacific or in the Euro-Atlantic, that we step up. This demands us to respond." Mr Healey and Mr Marles had also met in Singapore in the past fortnight, along with United States counterpart Pete Hegseth. Mr Healey's resignation comes as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine extends into a fifth year, and an ongoing wars in the middle east involving the US, Israel, Iran, Lebanon and multiple other militant groups. The defence secretary's resignation comes at a time of particular political turmoil in the UK, and predictions Sir Keir will soon be deposed from the top job. Last month, leadership aspirant Wes Streeting announced his resignation as health secretary, and pledged to try and replace the PM in a future. A by-election being held next week is also expected to allow another stated challenger, Andy Burnham, to enter parliament. Mr Marles has been in Europe all week shoring up Australia's relationships and agreements with allies. On Monday he was in Berlin, on Tuesday he was in Helsinki, before heading to the UK.