Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis says Labour mayor Andy Burnham would support the government’s defence spending plans if he becomes prime minister. According to the reports, Jarvis indicates Burnham backs Jarvis’s proposed £15 billion uplift in defence spending, framed within a broader defence investment plan published on Tuesday. The BBC and local coverage both describe Jarvis seeking or receiving “assurance” about Burnham’s position on armed forces investment. The Evening Standard notes that Jarvis secured the £15 billion uplift in the Defence Investment Plan released that day, while emphasising that Jarvis considers Burnham likely to back the spending commitment. The Belfast Telegraph also reports on Jarvis having an “assurance” that Burnham will invest in the armed forces, though it does not add further detail beyond the existence of that assurance. Across the outlets, the central points are that Jarvis presents Burnham as supportive of a specific defence spending increase and that the £15 billion figure is tied to the Tuesday defence investment planning announcement.