Richard Marles wishes John Healey ‘all the best’ after he abruptly quit UK government
Britain’s defence secretary, John Healey, has abruptly quit the Starmer government, in another blow to the leader’s teetering authority.
Our UK colleagues have all the coverage (it was apparently over a new defence spending plan that Healey considered didn’t “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”):
But it’s also a blow to Richard Marles, who was in the UK for the Aukmin summit of defence and foreign ministers, and had been due to head to a naval base at Portsmouth alongside Healey, overnight our time.
The event was cancelled. Some time later Marles put out a rather mournful statement, saying:
I have deeply valued the close and collaborative working relationship with my good friend John Healey as Secretary of Defence, as I have with his predecessors on the Australia-UK defence relationship. I have worked closely with all of them particularly in respect of Aukus.
Our defence relationship is enduring, with deep connections, values and shared interests.
Acknowledging that ultimately this has been a decision for John, I wish him all the best for the future.
Marles did go to Portsmouth anyway, Guardian Australia was told, to meet the Royal Navy, hosted by a junior defence minister.
The day before, Marles had expressed “a sense of confidence” in the commitment of the UK to the Aukus submarine project.
Key events
Resignation of Britain’s defence secretary will have ‘no effect’ on Aukus, minister says
Tim Ayres, the minister for innovation, said the resignation of John Healey in the UK, Britain’s defence secretary, will have “no effect” on the Aukus partnership.
He told RN Breakfast this morning:
This is a partnership that has deep support across all three countries’ political systems, within the public service and the defence agencies in all three countries, and indeed with the defence industry, because it’s in the interests of all three countries.
Over the life of this agreement … there will be many ministers for defence for all three countries, many secretaries for war in the United States case, who are there charged with delivering this program.
Jordyn Beazley
Twenty-five anti-Isaac Herzog protesters to face joint trial in Sydney
Twenty-five people who were charged after they protested against the visit of the Israeli president will face a six-week joint trial in July next year.
The protesters had their matters heard before Downing centre local court on Thursday after their lawyers made a successful application for the joint hearing, arguing there were common legal issues across the cases.
The acting deputy registrar Soly Najm set down a week-long pre-trial hearing for 8 March 2027, and a six-week long trial beginning 19 July 2027.
Felicity Graham, who was one of nine lawyers to appear on behalf of the protesters, told the court she expected the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, to be the first witness called.
Read more here:
NSW police find human remains in search for woman missing since 2018
NSW police have located human remains in a long search for a woman allegedly murdered in 2018.
Officials said officers have been investigating the disappearance of Nadire Sensoy, 71, who vanished from her home in Prospect in December 2018. A coronial inquest into her death began in 2023, but it was suspended after new information came to light.
Later in 2023, police arrested a man, 47, in Wagga Wagga, NSW. He was charged with murder and remains before the courts.
NSW police said this morning they will allege he murdered the woman, who was known to him.
Officials said officers searched a property in Seven Hills in Sydney this week, where they located human remains. They have not yet been formally identified.
Good morning, Nick Visser back on deck to take over the blog reins. Let’s get into it.
Jim Chalmers defends jibe about Angus Taylor’s background
Ima Caldwell
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has defended remarks he made about Angus Taylor, saying he has no issue with wealthy Australians – but maintained the opposition leader is disconnected from the reality of the housing market.
In a speech on Thursday, Chalmers said Taylor was born “at the top of the ladder”.
Appearing on the ABC’s 7.30 program last night, Chalmers was asked by host Sarah Ferguson whether he has a “problem with wealthy Australians.”
Chalmers said:
Not at all. I want more people to succeed in our economy and in our society…
Angus Taylor talks about a ladder and the point that I’ve made about the ladder is it’s not much point in having a ladder if the first few rungs are missing. Angus Taylor was born at the top of the ladder, good on him, but I think that that means he doesn’t understand that a lot of people are struggling.
When pushed on whether people who inherit wealth are worthy of criticism – given Labor boasts historically wealthy figures of its own, such as Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd – Chalmers said:
The point that I’m making about Angus Taylor is that not everybody is born already at the top of the ladder… Not everybody has had the same experiences that Angus Taylor has had.
Our responsibility, which we embrace enthusiastically, is to make it easier for more people to do well, whether that’s at work with better wages, whether it’s helping with the cost of living and tax cuts, or whether it’s helping people get a foothold into a housing market that’s been too difficult for too long, especially for young people.
Richard Marles wishes John Healey ‘all the best’ after he abruptly quit UK government
Britain’s defence secretary, John Healey, has abruptly quit the Starmer government, in another blow to the leader’s teetering authority.
Our UK colleagues have all the coverage (it was apparently over a new defence spending plan that Healey considered didn’t “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”):
But it’s also a blow to Richard Marles, who was in the UK for the Aukmin summit of defence and foreign ministers, and had been due to head to a naval base at Portsmouth alongside Healey, overnight our time.
The event was cancelled. Some time later Marles put out a rather mournful statement, saying:
I have deeply valued the close and collaborative working relationship with my good friend John Healey as Secretary of Defence, as I have with his predecessors on the Australia-UK defence relationship. I have worked closely with all of them particularly in respect of Aukus.
Our defence relationship is enduring, with deep connections, values and shared interests.
Acknowledging that ultimately this has been a decision for John, I wish him all the best for the future.
Marles did go to Portsmouth anyway, Guardian Australia was told, to meet the Royal Navy, hosted by a junior defence minister.
The day before, Marles had expressed “a sense of confidence” in the commitment of the UK to the Aukus submarine project.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
We kick off with news from the UK, where our deputy PM and defence minister, Richard Marles, was visiting for a ministerial summit but had the wind taken from his sails when his British counterpart abruptly quit over defence funding.
More on that coming in a minute or two.
