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

" Starmer's gift to Burnham" , external , 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 , external " - but sources say the Makerfield MP will not try to renegotiate the plan if he enters No 10. " Indefensible , external " 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 , external 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 , external , 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 , external 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 , external . …