Politics · 22 July 2026
Al Carns rejects new government job over defence spending row
©House of Commons / Laurie Noble via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-3.0)
Former defence minister Al Carns has turned down a role in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's new government, saying the defence funding issues he resigned over last month are still unresolved. Carns quit his previous post after criticising the government's defence investment plan as underfunded and inefficient. He had previously accused the Ministry of Defence of "unbelievable" waste and bureaucracy.
Reported by Daily Express · How we write briefs