Healey worked as a journalist and the deputy editor of The House, the internal magazine of the Palace of Westminster, for a year in 1983.[3] In 1984 he became a full-time disability rights campaigner for several national charities.
At the 1997 general election, Healey was the Labour Party candidate for Wentworth, which had become available following the retirement of the Labour MP Peter Hardy. Healey was elected to Parliament with 72.3% of the vote and a majority of 23,959.[7]
In a Cabinet reshuffle on 5 June 2009, he was appointed Minister of State for Housing and Planning, replacing Margaret Beckett who had resigned. While Minister of State for Housing and Planning, he was criticised for suggesting that more people renting properties rather than buying their own homes was a good thing.[10]
Healey came second in the election for the shadow cabinet in 2010, and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health.[13] He resigned from this position in 2011 in order to spend more time with his family.[14]
At the 2015 general election Healey was re-elected as MP for Wentworth and Dearne with an increased vote share of 56.3% and a decreased majority of 13,838.[15][16]
At the snap 2017 general election Healey was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 65% and an increased majority of 14,803.[19] He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 40.3% and a decreased majority of 2,165.[20][21]
As Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Healey has repeatedly stressed his support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war since Russia's invasion in 2022, endorsed the UK's support for Ukraine, and committed to continue Britain's support for Ukraine in any future Labour government.[23][24][25] In May 2024, Healey visited Kyiv along with Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development AffairsDavid Lammy and met the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. In a joint statement, Healey and Lammy stated: "The next Labour government's commitment to Ukraine will be ironclad, and European security will be our first foreign and defence priority."[26]
Healey has argued in favour of higher spending on the British military with a larger armed force, closer co-operation and leadership with NATO and European nations over security and defence matters, and for a "comprehensive UK-Germany defence and security pact".[27][28] Healey has said that NATO will need to do more "heavy-lifting' in Europe, as the winner of the 2024 US Presidential Election is likely to prioritise the threat of China.[29]
In April 2024, Healey committed to raising Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of Britain's GDP by 2030 and commissioning a strategic review of the threats to Britain and its capabilities.[23]
Healey voted in favour of British participation in the 2003 Iraq War.[30][31] In 2024, he said that the decision to go to war "wasn't sound at the time" and said the lesson was that military intervention could not have a successful outcome without sufficient diplomatic, economic, and security follow-through.[31]
Return to government (2024–present)
Healey with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in July 2024