Andy Burnham, the aspiring Prime Minister, faces a daunting challenge after Sir Keir Starmer left behind a defence 'black hole' of £5 billion, according to GB News commentator Tali Fraser. Appearing on Wednesday's instalment of GB News, Fraser, Commissioning Editor at The Spectator, slammed Starmer for failing to provide a clear plan to fund the gap.
Burnham's Uphill Battle
Fraser explained that Burnham received a briefing before the Defence Investment Plan was published, but the briefing did not outline how to find the extra funds. 'There was a call Andy Burnham had before the Defence Investment Plan was published to basically get a briefing of what he should be expecting as he's the one that's going to have to be seeing this through,' Fraser said.
Revealing that Burnham would need to find £4.75 billion by next autumn if he becomes PM, Fraser suggested the Labour leader would have been 'astonished' to realise he must 'figure this' defence crisis out. Noting Burnham has an 'unbelievably difficult' situation ahead, Fraser added that this is complicated by a 'Labour party that doesn't want to see any cuts to anything'.
Defence Investment Plan Falls Short
Labour's long-awaited and delayed Defence Investment Plan was published on Tuesday, arriving 10 months behind schedule. The plan confirmed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would receive an additional £15 billion, a figure that falls short of the £28 billion needed to achieve recommendations accepted by the government in last year's Strategic Defence Review.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge blasted Burnham over a recent speech in which Burnham called for a 'rewired Britain' but neglected to mention the defence crisis. 'What about the rewiring of defence? Where is the defence of the realm, which is the number one responsibility of any government? Where was that in his speech?' Cartlidge said.
Warning from Cartlidge and Healey
Cartlidge warned Burnham of the mammoth task ahead, declaring: 'If the government doesn't have a plan to cut welfare and fund defence [...] they are not going to be successful.' Former Defence Secretary John Healey also weighed in, remarking: 'More needs to be done in the months ahead.'
The GB News segment highlighted that Starmer's departure leaves Burnham with a significant financial and strategic burden, with no clear roadmap from the outgoing leader on how to address the shortfall.
