Wes Streeting named new UK defence minister

Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham named ex-health minister Wes Streeting as his defence secretary late Monday, the government said, as ministerial appointments ran into the night.

Streeting, who quit the health job back in May saying he had lost confidence in then-premier Keir Starmer, had intended to challenge Burnham for the leadership of the ruling Labour party before backing down.

"Keeping our country safe is the first duty of government," Streeting wrote on X after his appointment.

"We'll ensure our armed forces have the resources they need and stand steadfast alongside our international allies, especially Ukraine."

Streeting, 43, comes from a working class background and is seen as being on the right flank of the centre-left party.

A fixture on the airwaves during the 2024 general election, he grew his national profile helming the government department responsible for the National Health Service (NHS) in England before stepping down after losing confidence in Starmer.

Streeting replaces former defence minister John Healey, who on Monday was appointed to the top cabinet job of finance minister.

Healey had piled pressure on Starmer last month when he announced he was stepping down as defence secretary in a stinging criticism of the government's defence budget.

"You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats," Healey wrote in a resignation letter at the time.