New defence secretary Dan Jarvis persuaded Rachel Reeves to reduce £18bn funding gap that led to predecessor resigning

The new defence secretary has secured an extra £1.5bn to the UK’s long-delayed defence investment plan, with the bulk of that to be spent on drones to deter Russia and Iran.

Rows about closing an £18bn funding gap had led to the resignation of John Healey and raised questions about Britain’s commitments to Nato – though on Monday the head of the alliance told the Guardian he believed the UK would honour its commitments.

Increase comes after seven-year campaign by mothers of victims for a change in the minimum sentence for domestic murder

Offenders who kill their current or ex-partner face spending an extra 10 years behind bars, with a new minimum sentence of 25 years in England and Wales, under plans announced by David Lammy.

The increase, announced by the justice secretary on Monday, comes after a seven-year campaign by mothers of victims for a change in the minimum sentence for domestic murder.

Means-tested scheme included in immigration and asylum bill condemned by charities for placing tax on refugees

Asylum seekers will be ordered to pay about £10,000 to cover their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK under a new law to be considered by MPs on Tuesday.

The means-tested scheme, compared by officials to student loans and included in the immigration and asylum bill, has been condemned by charities for placing a tax on refugees fleeing war, torture and famine.

The experience inside the grounds of SW19 is as far removed from outside world as ever, which is no bad thing

There was a group of 10 demonstrators outside the main gates of the All England Club on Monday morning, protesting against Barclays’ sponsorship of the championship on the grounds that as well as providing its customers here with deckchairs and free strawberries and cream, as well as the chance to visit something called the Clubhouse by Barclays at Aorangi, they are also heavily invested in various weapons manufacturers who are supplying the Israeli Defense Forces.

“We’re not against tennis,” one of the protesters shouted out through a loudhailer. “We just want the Championships to drop Barclays.”

Springboks coach has named a starting XV with more than 900 caps for their first Nations Championship game against England

The Nations Championship does not start until Saturday, but for Rassie Erasmus the fun and games have already begun. Sometimes the simplest messages can be the most effective and Erasmus’s decision to kickstart the week with an early bang by naming a strong Springbok lineup to face England was another artful initiative by a head coach who loves to be one jump ahead.

Not only has the heavy thud of a properly stacked Bok team sheet instantly set the narrative for the week, it has left England to try to play catch‑up if they can. Virtually all South Africa’s heaviest hitters – Siya Kolisi, Pieter‑Steph du Toit and Malcolm Marx – will be there to roll out the welcome mat at Ellis Park, banishing any idle notion that Erasmus might tinker slightly for the opening fixture.

• Arsenal star says squad has practised penalties

• Bukayo Saka provides ‘healthy competition’ for place

Noni Madueke has warned that England must not take the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lightly but expects a much more fluent attacking display than against Ghana during the group stages.

England struggled to break down Carlos Queiroz’s side in the 0-0 draw in Boston last week and the DRC are expected to employ the same counterattacking style for the last-32 tie in Atlanta on Wednesday. Madueke started against Croatia and Ghana before losing his place to his Arsenal ­teammate Bukayo Saka for the win against Panama.

On decision fatigue: “Why are you so tired? The answer has to do with how many times you’ve had to make a decision throughout the day.” And: “The quality of our decisions deteriorates as we accumulate previous decisions.”