Why Labour’s ‘Action Man’ Al Carns could challenge for No 10

Why Labour’s ‘Action Man’ Al Carns could challenge for No 10

From This Is Why by Sky News

June 12, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Al Carns' potential candidacy for Prime Minister following his resignation as Armed Forces minister.

He’s the former Marine who served in the special forces, climbs mountains for fun, and now could hold the keys to Downing Street. Following an astonishing interview on Sky News, Al Carns quit as Armed Forces minister over doubts the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan was going to be fully funded. It was yet another blow for a prime minister still reeling from the resignation of his defence secretary John Healey earlier on Thursday. Carns, nick-named ‘Action Man’ because of his military background, has already hinted at his leadership ambitions. Could he now potentially join the likes of Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting in challenging Sir Keir Starmer? Sky’s Mhari Aurora is joined by political correspondent Amanda Akass to discuss Carn’s career, and how likely a contender he is for the country’s top job. Have you got a question? Email the show – why@sky.uk

People in this episode

Host: Mhari Aurora

Guest: Amanda Akass

Topics covered

  • politics
  • leadership
  • military
  • UK government
  • resignation
  • defense

Keywords

  • Al Carns
  • UK politics
  • leadership challenge
  • defense minister
  • Sky News
  • resignation
  • military background

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sky News, Armed Forces, Defence Investment Plan, Sky

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