Monday morning news briefing: Boris Johnson pitches 'safety first' Conservative manifesto

Boris Johnson pitches 'safety first' Conservative manifesto

Boris Johnson has pledged to "release the lion from its cage" by spending up to £100 billion over the next five years to "forge a new Britain" in the aftermath of Brexit. However, at the launch of the Conservative manifesto in Telford yesterday, the Prime Minister made it clear he will not enter a spending competition with Jeremy Corbyn as he unveiled an unapologetically cautious programme. Camilla Tominey analyses how the Prime Minister has pitched a "safety-first" Conservative manifesto at swing voters rather than the Tory faithful. Taha Lokhandwala explains what the manifesto means for your money and here is a summary of the 59-page document's key policies.

Meanwhile, Labour has been accused of "driving a coach and horses" through its fiscal rules with its £58bn pledge to compensate women pensioners. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the plan to compensate women left out of pocket by the rise in the state pension age would lead to "another £12bn of borrowing every year for the next five years", on top of what Labour has already promised to spend. And economists have warned electing the Labour Party could trigger a run on the pound in a "sudden and dramatic reaction" on the markets.

Police failure to investigate allegations against Duke questioned

Scotland Yard is coming under increasing pressure to explain why it failed to carry out a full investigation into allegations that a teenager had been trafficked to the UK to have sex with the Duke of York. Four years ago the Metropolitan Police received a complaint alleging that in 2001, 17-year-old Virgina Roberts-Giuffre was flown to London by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and coerced into having sex with Prince Andrew. The renewed pressure comes as the Prince of Wales will this week demand what is likely to be a heated showdown with his younger brother, over the continued fallout from the disastrous Newsnight interview. And Victoria Ward and Robert Mendick reveal it is affecting the endeavours of his youngest daughter, who co-founded an anti-slavery charity.

Convent shut after nun falls in love with man and is told to leave

A picturesque 17th-century convent in the Tuscan hills has had to shut its doorsonly four years after reopening, due to an impossible "love story". The Convent of the Cappuccini Fathers in Sansepolcro, which has been run by Benedictine nuns since 2015 – has been closed "definitively", its website says, despite the ongoing projects unveiled by Sister Maria Teresa, the dynamic mother superior. The reason for the sudden closure is reported to be because a 40-year-old nun fell in love with a local man, and was obliged to leave. Read on for details.

News digest

• Acrobat fall | Woman drops 30ft after 'slipping from her harness' in show

• Gang film banned | Vue Cinemas acts after mass brawl outside screening

• Weather warnings | Towns devastated by flood to be deluged again

• Hong Kong | Pro-democracy movement scores crushing victory in elections

• BBC Radio | Festive line-up to include 'all consuming silence' of the Arctic

Gallery: The big picture

A newborn lamb sticks its tongue out standing next to its mother in the lambing sheds at The Olde House, Chapel Amble, Cornwall. The milder Cornish weather affords the working farm two lambing seasons over the year. Around 500 lambs are expected to be born this autumn. Click here to see more pictures of the day.

Comment

• Nick Timothy | Tory manifesto is first step on road to political realignment

• Stephen Pollard | The only three words that matter in the Tory manifesto

• Tim Stanley | The Conservatives have conceded too much to Labour

• Michael Deacon | May's manifesto doomed her. Johnson's settled nerves

• Jane Shilling | The vegan snowflakes have said 'Yuk' to the curious mind

Editor's choice

1. How to buy your first home | 'I moved to a tax haven so I could buy in the UK by 28'

2. Snack nation | Is there such a thing as a healthy snack or do they all make us fat?

3. Craig David | 'Nowadays I care more about music that heals people, than No 1s'

Business and money briefing

Black hole | UK retailers are facing a £2.6bn festive returns hangover, as Black Friday and the winter sales span several weeks, putting more strain on struggling brands. Shops will rack up the costs based on the amount they have to spend on processing and refunding returns as well as other factors.

• Green cards | Why British workers could find it harder to get jobs in the US

• Investment tip | JD Wetherspoon shares are not as cheap as its pints

• Stay on top of the markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day

Sport briefing

Sheffield United 3 - 3 Manchester United | After going 2-0 down, somehow the away side found themselves 3-2 up having been utterly dominated, at times humiliated, by promoted Sheffield Utd for 71 minutes. That the home side then salvaged a draw, with a 90th-minute equaliser, after another VAR check, was the very least they deserved in a marvellous encounter.

Manager market | Everton's options if they move on from Marco Silva

New Zealand vs England | Kiwis secure crushing victory in first Test

Brian Moore | Something needs to be done about Europe's secondary cup

Tonight's dinner

Roast chicken with pomegranate and squash, yogurt and herbs | This dish is perfect for sharing, and you can use whatever vegetables you like. It can be eaten as it is, but some fat maftoul (giant couscous) would go very well with it. Click here for the recipe.

And finally...

Exams are passé | A leading private school headmaster has become the latest to launch a GCSE alternative, as he says exam boards have made the flagship assessment too "tick boxy". Stephen Jones, the Warden of St Edward’s School in Oxford, said there is a growing feeling GCSEs are "passé" and no longer fit for purpose. Here is how it will affect pupils at the £39,480-a-year boarding school.