Burnham's first month: drought cheques, tax warnings, and a dead academic

The Prime Minister is one month in and already facing the arithmetic. Andy Burnham has opened the Treasury's books for drought-hit farmers, announced £65 million in support after the driest July on record, and drawn warnings from his own side that new tax measures would destroy investment. The Express reports his honeymoon is already fading.

The bigger story is Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor found dead this week. Arday was at the centre of a plagiarism row that had drawn national attention. The BBC and other outlets report tributes being paid; Burnham issued a statement calling for "a moment of reflection". The circumstances of the death haven't been confirmed by police.

Every new government arrives with a plan and a majority. The plan usually involves spending money the Treasury doesn't have, raising taxes the economy can't bear, or both. Burnham's first month has followed the pattern: relief now, revenue later. The Express carries warnings from within Labour's own tent that the tax measures under consideration - undefined in the reporting - would chill investment. The country has heard this sequence before: emergency, cheque, warning, backtrack. What matters is the order in which those four appear.

What to watch: whether the tax proposals materialise, and whether the Treasury publishes costings for the drought package beyond the headline figure. The bill for climate-linked relief - droughts, floods, fires - is now a recurring line item. The question is who pays it.