Burnham Faces £4.7bn Defence Bill From Starmer Plan

Andy Burnham, the incoming Chancellor, faces a £4.7 billion funding gap in his first budget due to Keir Starmer's newly announced £298 billion Defence Investment Plan (Dip). Sources close to Burnham confirmed he would not seek to renegotiate the plan after its details were revealed by the Labour leader. The Dip allocates significant funds across various military upgrades over a four-year period.

Key expenditures within the plan include £47 billion designated for new nuclear submarines, encompassing the Dreadnought replacement for Trident and the Aukus attack submarine project developed in partnership with Australia and the United States. An additional £13 billion is earmarked for a new nuclear warhead, with a further £1.7 billion allocated for nuclear fuels. The plan also commits £1 billion for 12 Lockheed Martin F-35A jets, capable of carrying nuclear bombs, with this expenditure scheduled for post-2030.

The Dip further outlines £8.6 billion for the development of the Gcap next-generation fighter aircraft, a joint project involving Italy and Japan. An extra £1.1 billion will be used to maintain existing Typhoon aircraft in service until the 2040s. In the realm of unmanned systems, the plan includes a total of £5 billion more for drones, representing a £1 billion increase compared to last year's strategic spending review. These drone investments cover air, land, sea, and underwater capabilities, intended to operate in conjunction with personnel, naval vessels, and fighter jets.