Andy Burnham did not have ‘all the details’ of £4.7 billion defence black hole

Mr Burnham was facing media questions for the first time since last month’s by-election win (Stefan Rousseau/PA) - (PA Wire)

Andy Burnham has said he did not have “all of the details” about the £4.7 billion black hole in Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to raise defence spending until it was published.

The prospective prime minister suggested he “wasn’t in all of the discussions” about the financial details, but insisted he would not make “crude cuts to benefit levels” to plug his first Budget.