How Andy Burnham is being handed a £4.7bn defence ‘black hole’

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAndy Burnham, the likely successor to the outgoing prime minister, reportedly discovered a £4.7 billion funding shortfall in Sir Keir Starmer’s defence spending plan on the day it was published. The outgoing prime minister unveiled a £15 billion Defence Investment Plan (DIP) over four years, but chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed only £10.3 billion had been identified, with the remaining sum to be confirmed at Budget 2026. This means Mr Burnham will be responsible for securing the additional £4.7 billion in his first Budget, despite suggestions he was not fully briefed on the financial details beforehand. Defence minister Luke Pollard stated he also only saw the funding breakdown on the day of publication, though he insisted it is 'not unusual' for governments to finalise details at a later budget. The funding gap has been criticised by former Tory defence secretary Sir Liam Fox as a 'poisoned chalice' for Mr Burnham, while current Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis denied it was a deliberate challenge. In fullBurnham told of £4.7bn gap in Starmer’s defence improvement plan on day it was published, minister suggestsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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