Skip to content

'Defence black hole' and 'Starmer's gift to Burnham'

BBC "Starmer's gift to Burnham: £4.7bn hole in first Budget to fund war plan" reads the headline on the front page of the i Paper.BBC
Many of Wednesday's papers lead with the fallout from the announcement of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) yesterday. Sir Keir Starmer's "gift" to Andy Burnham for his first Budget is a "£4.7bn hole", writes The i Paper. The outgoing prime minister "risks political row", it says, after leaving a third of the scheme unfunded.
"Starmer puts Burnham in £5bn defence black hole" reads the headline on the front page of the Times.
On the "defence black hole", the Times says "PM in waiting", Burnham, must "raise taxes or cut spending" and "was not told in advance about the gap". The paper also reports that the number of billionaires "soars thanks to boom in AI".
"PM still puts welfare ahead of defence boost" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Express.
"PM still puts welfare ahead of defence boost" is the Daily Express's take on the DIP. Sir Keir has been "blasted" for his "refusal to rein in" welfare by critics, it adds.
"Indefensible" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mail.
The "black hole" in the Defence Investment Plan is "indefensible", according to the Daily Mail. Starmer has "passed the buck" to Burnham after "short-changing Britain's military", it adds, while starting a campaign titled "don't leave Britain defenceless."
"Britain needs you... to queue" reads the headline on thef ront page of the Metro.
"Britain needs you... to queue" headlines the Metro, with a photo of Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves pointing to the reader, Lord Kitchener-style. This comes as it says "jam-busting road projects will have to be sacrificed" towards the defence budget.
"Starmer puts Burnham in £5bn defence black hole" reads the headline on the front page of the Telegraph.
An analysis produced by the Telegraph says "Oxbridge diversity plans exclude white working class". The paper also confirms its acquisition by Europe's largest news publisher Axel Springer has been completed.
"PM's defence funding plan leaves Burnham with £5bn hole to plug" reads the headline on the front page of the Guardian.
A photo of Serena Williams roaring makes the Guardian's front page, calling her comeback "no fairytale". The paper also marks a ruling by the US Supreme Court that has upheld birthright citizenship, saying it has rejected "a central pillar of Donald Trump's anti-immigrant agenda".
"Europe's rearmamaent is sustaining 195,000 US defence jobs, Rutte says" reads the headline on the front page of the Financial Times.
In the lead for the Financial Times are Nato Chief Mark Rutte's comments that "Europe's rearmament is sustaining 195,000 US defence jobs". He is "making a case for Donald Trump to remain committed", says the FT, ahead of a Nato summit next week.
"Same gold Farage" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror.
Reform UK's leader is "same gold Farage" and a "man with no shame", writes the Daily Mirror. He is said to have "raked in £270,000 for doing just 12 hours' work as a brand ambassador for a gold bullion dealer".
"We are the Lions that roar" reads the headline on the front page of the Sun.
"We are the Lions that roar" headlines the Sun ahead of England's World Cup match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. It urges fans to "join a national debate about what it means to be English" ahead of the "do-or-die clash".
"Dr Congno Jude: I'd love to play 007" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Star.
England player Jude Bellingham's declaration that he would love to play James Bond tops the Daily Star. He has a "license to thrill," it says.

"Starmer's gift to Burnham", is what The i Paper calls the £4.7bn pound black hole in the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

An ally of Andy Burnham is quoted in the Guardian likening the situation to an "unexploded bomb" - but sources say the Makerfield MP will not try to renegotiate the plan if he enters No 10.

"Indefensible" is the Daily Mail headline, with the paper accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of having "passed the buck" to Burnham.

The Times claims Burnham may now have to raise taxes or cut spending in his hypothetical first budget. The paper quotes the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, who says it's "striking" the money has not been found.

In the Daily Express, the campaign group, Migration Watch UK, suggests the money could be available "at the stroke of a pen" if £5bn worth of immigration grants were axed.

The Metro leads on what it calls the "collateral damage" from the defence plan after the prime minister said road projects would have to be delayed or scrapped. The paper's headline alludes to the famous World War One recruitment campaign. "Britain needs you...", it says, "to queue".

The Daily Mirror reports that the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, earned £270,000 for doing just 12 hours work as a brand ambassador for a gold bullion dealer. "Same gold Farage" is the paper's headline, as it points out the figure is nearly eight times the average salary in his constituency of Clacton. A spokesperson for Farage said his work for Direct Bullion "has previously been declared".

Pictures of Serena Williams on her Wimbledon comeback make the front and back pages. The Daily Telegraph shows her waving to the centre court crowd. "Serena falls at first hurdle" declares the Times, while the Guardian says there was "no fairytale".

And the Daily Star reports that Britain's oldest curry house, Veeraswamy on Regent Street in London, is working on a plan to stay open despite fears it could be closed forever. "Curry on" is the message from the Star's editorial, urging all those involved to "keep korma for now".

News Daily banner

Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.

News Daily banner
Related Internet Links