Guardian UK Politics
Burnham left with £4.7bn bill for Starmer’s new defence investment plan
Andy Burnham faces a £4.7bn shortfall in his first budget after Keir Starmer committed Britain to a £298bn defence investment plan without securing the funding to back it. Sources close to Burnham describe the commitment as an "unexploded bomb," warning the figure will land squarely on the incoming chancellor's desk. The episode highlights the fiscal tightrope Labour must walk as it attempts to rebuild Britain's military capabilities while managing tight public finances.
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Starmer’s delayed defence investment swansong satisfies absolutely no one
Starmer's long-awaited defence investment plan landed with a thud, failing to satisfy the military, allies, or apparently the prime minister himself. The £15bn commitment was announced against a backdrop of political fatigue, with Starmer simultaneously warning Andy Burnham against borrowing to fund defence — a constraint that undercut the plan's ambition before the ink was dry. What was meant as a defining legacy moment read instead as an exercise in managed disappointment.
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Why Starmer's defence plan leaves next PM with £4.7bn headache
Starmer's pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 leaves a £4.7 billion funding gap that will fall squarely on whoever succeeds him. The plan commits future governments to significant financial obligations without a clear roadmap for how the money will be found. For the next occupant of Downing Street, defence budgets look set to be one of the most politically and fiscally painful items inherited from this administration.
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Andy Burnham says ‘nothing off table’ in case of Rochdale grooming gang leader
Andy Burnham has pledged to pursue every available legal avenue to deport Shabir Ahmed, the 73-year-old Rochdale grooming gang leader set for imminent release from prison. In his first major statement as Labour leader-in-waiting, Burnham signalled a willingness to close the loophole shielding Ahmed from deportation. The intervention marks a hardline opening position on law and order as Burnham positions himself for a potential leadership run.
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PMQs: Badenoch urges Burnham to condemn defence investment plan as Starmer says black hole will be addressed – UK politics live
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has championed Andy Burnham as a "true patriot" capable of funding Britain's security needs, even as ministers and MPs express fury over plans to divert cash from road projects to meet defence spending targets. The proposal is drawing fire from within government ranks, with critics calling it a "poisoned chalice" that sacrifices vital infrastructure investment. At PMQs, Kemi Badenoch pressed Starmer on the growing tensions, with the Prime Minister insisting the fiscal black hole inherited from the Conservatives will be addressed.
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