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Tuesday morning news briefing: Businesses and charities abandon Duke of York

Danny Boyle
Even the Duchess of York - her ex-husband's staunchest supporter - is said to have accepted the Newsnight interview was 'a car crash' - Mark Harrison/BBC
Even the Duchess of York - her ex-husband's staunchest supporter - is said to have accepted the Newsnight interview was 'a car crash' - Mark Harrison/BBC

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Duke under fire: Judge could unseal secret files with new claims

It is going from bad to worse. The Duke of York has been plunged into a deepening crisis, with a succession of charities and companies threatening to sever ties with him. As the fallout from his "disastrous" BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein showed no sign of abating, the Outward Bound Trust is considering Prince Andrew's patronage. And accountancy giant KPMG confirmed it had pulled the plug on its sponsorship of the Duke's flagship charity initiative. Chief Reporter Robert Mendick has an in-depth report on how the TV appearance opened the floodgates. It has also emerged that even the Duchess of York, her ex-husband's staunchest supporter, is said to have accepted the interview was "a car crash". But Charles Moore explains why he is making the case for the Duke. And Matt finds a link between one of the alibis and King Herod in today's cartoon.

Meanwhile, Bill Gardner has learnt that the Duke is named in secret US legal documents detailing explosive new allegations against disgraced financier Epstein. It is understood Andrew is facing the prospect of further damaging claims about his friendship with the billionaire in the coming weeks. And French police have launched an appeal for witnesses in their own investigation focusing on Epstein's £8million Paris apartment. The Duke is understood to have stayed at the property, which featured photographs of naked women on the walls.

Leaders' TV debate: PM's four-question challenge to Corbyn

Boris Johnson has been accused of "ceding ground to socialists" after he shelved Tory plans to slash corporation tax in the latest about-turn on tax cuts. The Prime Minister surprised bosses with the controversial move ahead of tonight's historic head-to-head leaders' debate. Mr Johnson has thrown down a four-question challenge to Jeremy Corbyn ahead of the ITV screening. Meanwhile, people found guilty of illegal fox hunting could face up to five years in jail under a Labour policy to amend the law to include a "recklessness" clause.

It's wrong to call Japanese cruel, says PoW's grandson Rylance

Sir Mark Rylance has suggested that the Japanese should not be viewed as the "cruel" side in the Second World War because the Allies committed their own atrocities. The Oscar-winning star of Dunkirk has delved into history for a TV documentary about his grandfather, who was a prisoner-of-war after being captured in Hong Kong. As Anita Singh reports, Sir Mark revealed that researching the programme had convinced him of "a rather shocking thing".

News digest

Gallery: The big picture

Desperate escape | Dozens of protesters in Hong Kong staged a daring breakout from a university campus besieged by police last night by using ropes to lower themselves down from a footbridge onto a motorway. Read more from Hong Kong and view our selection of the day's most striking images.

Hong Kong - Credit: Ye Aung Thu/AFP
The protesters were picked up by waiting motorcyclists below Credit: Ye Aung Thu/AFP

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Business and money briefing

Nationalisation backlash | Furious investors are preparing to fight Jeremy Corbyn's plans to seize swathes of British businesses. As Lucy Burton reports, they are arguing his nationalisation of mail, railways, water and energy utilities would be a "breach of human rights" that could trigger a wave of lawsuits.

Sport briefing

Women's sport | International sports federations are facing calls to have their funding slashed if they fail to address "absolutely shocking" levels of female representation on their boards. Tim Wigmore has the results of a major investigation into gender diversity in sport.

And finally...

Salary fit for a queen | The makers of The Crown have reversed the gender pay gap by paying Olivia Colman more than Tobias Menzies, who plays the Duke of Edinburgh. There was outrage when it emerged that Colman's predecessor, Claire Foy, earned less than her onscreen husband, Matt Smith. Now the producers of the Netflix show have revealed the change they have made.