LONDON — Defence Secretary John Healey told an audience at the Good Growth Foundation in London that the credibility of Labour in government was at stake if party infighting deepened. He said Labour had turned in on itself since the May elections.

"Politics to me is not about the individual. I don't much care about photo opportunities or PR firms. People will not forgive us if they think we're more concerned about ourselves than we are about them," Healey said. "Right now, the very credibility of Labour in government is at stake. We must get serious. It's not about us, not about the insiders of politics, it's about the interests of the country."

He warned that voters would judge the party on whether it focused on governing or on internal disputes.

Turning to defence policy, he said spending had grown under Labour and would rise to 3.5% of gross domestic product by 2035. He said future military spending would need to serve both national security and British industry, adding that defence jobs were skilled, unionised and offered an average salary of £57,000.

The Ministry of Defence estimates that more than half a million Britons will work for a defence firm in a decade's time, he said. He linked economic strength to military capacity, telling the audience: "Countries that cannot pay their way, cannot defend themselves."

He accused the Reform party of being supported by pro-Russian cronies and crypto billionaires, and accused the Green party of wanting to shut down the defence industry.

No date was announced for the publication of the long-delayed defence investment plan, which covers all critical military programmes and is up to £18 billion overspent.