In today’s newsletter: The prime minister announced a significant increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, funded entirely by a cut in the aid budget

Good morning.

On Tuesday, Keir Starmer confirmed that the government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with plans to raise it further to 3% during the next parliament. The announcement marks the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war, but the even bigger surprise came with the announcement that the additional funding would come directly from the overseas aid budget, which will fall from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP – a cut of around £6bn.

Ukraine | Donald Trump has said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to visit the White House on Friday to sign a rare earth minerals deal worth $500bn to pay for US military aid.

Gaza | Israel is seeking to extend the first stage of the ceasefire agreement in the war with Hamas in Gaza and is prepared to resume fighting if there is no progress in crucial talks this week, according to reports.

Health | Wes Streeting will axe thousands of jobs at NHS England after his ousting of its chair and chief executive in what health service staff fear is a power grab. The health secretary’s plan follows Amanda Pritchard’s shock announcement on Monday that she was stepping down as the organisation’s chief executive next month. She will be replaced, for the foreseeable future, by Sir Jim Mackey.

Education | British universities have been warned to “stress-test” all assessments after new research revealed “almost all” undergraduates are using generative artificial intelligence in their studies. A survey of 1,000 students – both domestic and international – found there had been an “explosive increase” in the use of genAI in the past 12 months. 88% said they used tools such as ChatGPT for their assessments, up from 53% last year.

BBC | The BBC has admitted that it “fell short and failed people” by not dealing with “bullying and misogynistic” behaviour by its former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood. A major external inquiry found it “missed opportunities” that could have led to action. The inquiry was triggered by a 2022 Guardian-BBC News joint investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by the DJ.