this is bbc news. i'm nicholas owen. the headlines at 11:00 — chancellor phillip hammond rejects calls for huge spending sprees in his first budget on wednesday. as we embark on the journey that we will be taking over the next couple of years we are confident that we have enough gas in the tank to see us through thatjourney. the white house asks congress to investigate allegations barack obama ordered wire—taps on president trump during the election. the director of national intelligence at the time denies the claims. there was no wiretap activity mounted against the president elect at the time or as a candidate or against his campaign. french centre—right presidential candidate, francois fillon says he won't withdraw from the race, but admits to misjudgements in dealing with corruption allegations. also in the next hour we'll take a look at tomorrow's front pages in the papers. including the times which claims the chancellor is planning a raise tax in wednesday's budget —

with the self employed and drinkers bearing the cost of extra help for social care and business. and in the film review — mark kermode gives us his verdict on the ‘viceroy‘s house‘ and the rest of this week's top releases. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the chancellor phillip hammond has played down expectations of big spending announcements in the budget on wednesday, saying that britain needs "fuel in the tank" as it prepares to leave the european union. with labour calling for increased spending on public services, including health and social care — the chancellor says that although the economy is performing well, spending sprees would be reckless.

he's also warned the eu that britain will fight back if brexit talks end without a deal. here's our political correspondent eleanor garnier. these days, a long shadow cast itself over westminster and whitehall. brexit is dominating politics, and as the chancellor makes his spending plans, it dominates his calculations, too. i regard myjob as chancellor as making sure that our economy is resilient, that we've got reserves in the tanks, so as we embark on the journey that we'll be taking over the next couple of years, we are confident that we've got enough gas in the tank to see us through the journey. chanting. but domestic pressures are building up, too. there are repeated calls for more money for the nhs, plus claims social care is in crisis and desperately needs extra funding.

the chancellor says this is no time for a spending spree, but labour is warning more needs to be done. not at all, what we're saying is we'll have a fair taxation system, we'll tackle tax evasion, tax avoidance, we'll make sure there's no longer giveaways to corporations and the rich, we'll invest in our economy and grow the economy, and on that basis we'll be able to afford the public services that we need, and we'll also be able to afford fair wages. the chancellor might have abandoned the target and timetable of his predecessor, george osborne, but he hasn't abandoned the commitment to dealing with the deficit. economic forecasts might be looking up, but don't expect any fireworks in this wednesday's budget. and the government won't want any surprises when eu leaders formally start brexit negotiations later this month. the chancellor expects to get a trade agreement, but has a warning. anybody in the european union who thinks that if we don't do a deal with the european union, if we don't continue to work closely together, britain will simply, you know, slink off as a wounded animal, that is not going to happen.

so what will you do instead? british people have a great fighting spirit, and we will fight back. the chancellor has called those who want higher borrowing confused and reckless. he's sticking to his cautious approach, until the view of life outside the eu becomes clearer. eleanor garnier, bbc news, westminster. the chancellor did announce some new spending today — up to £500 million a year by 2022 to improve skills and technical training in england. our education editor branwen jeffreys has the details. businesses are worried about the economic uncertainty ahead so from the chancellor, a promise of investment to close the skills gap. employers say they need more highly—skilled people. for decades the uk has lagged behind other big economies. countries like germany

train more young people in higher technical skills. some companies fear it will be harder to plug skills‘ gaps once we leave the eu. the money promised in the budget will support big changes in england. under these plans, technical education will get £500 million extra a year by 2022. now that's to support 15 vocational training routes for students from the age of 16. each one targeted to a different industry or type of work. but all of this is against a background of a decade of falling spending. roughly a 13% cut per student in further education between 2010 and 2020. so, in terms of public spending, this new money isn't a lot. but it's being welcomed by further education colleges and here's why. funding for 16—19—year—olds in education has been hit very hard over a very long period. it's not been a priority for

conservative or labour governments, despite whatever rhetoric they may have used. it's done far worse than funding for schools or other bits of the education system. £500 million in that context is welcome but it's still not going to reverse that relative decline. vocational training has long felt like the poor relation. something the uk may no longer be able to afford. ina the uk may no longer be able to afford. in a couple of years time when this money start kicking in, the need for home—grown skills will be even greater. the former us director of national intelligence has denied there was any wire—tapping of donald trump's phones during last year's election campaign — after explosive allegations made by the president on social media. the white house has now asked congress to investigate if phones in trump tower were tapped — but offered no evidence to back up the claims. a spokesman for barack obama said the allegations were simply false. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports from new york.

bombshell! president trump's shocking and evidence—free claim. 0n the sunday political talk shows this morning, one main topic of discussion... claiming the trump campaign was wire—tapped by president obama. in his extraordinary twitter tirade, donald trump accused his predecessor barack obama of being a sick and bad guy who ordered wire taps at trump tower in a watergate—style conspiracy. and this morning the white house issued a statement asking that as part of their investigation into russian activity, the congressional intelligence committee exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016. but the white house has produced no evidence to back—up the president's claims and seems to be hoping these congressional committees will come up with some. let's get the truth here. let's find out.

i think the bigger story isn't who reported it, but is it true? and i think the american people have a right to know if this happened because if it did, again, this is the largest abuse of power that i think we have ever seen. senior democrats have labelled president trump the "deflector—in—chief", deliberately distracting attention from the trump team's interactions with the russians. this is called a wrap—up smear. you make up something and then you have the press write about it and then you say — everybody is writing about this charge, it's a tool of an authoritarian. america's former director of national intelligence is adamant there were no wire taps, he says. there was no such wire tap activity mounted against the president—elect at the time, or as a candidate or against his campaign. you would be told this? i would know that. if there was fight for court order on something like this? something like this, absolutely.

and at this point in time you can't confirm or deny whether that exists? i can deny it. this weekend has seen pro—trump rallies around the country, celebrating his successful speech to congress and a stock market soaring to record levels. but a week that began with a presidential recess has ended, once again, with russia. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has published his tax return in response to the chancellor philip hammond said this morning he would not be doing so because it amounted to "demonstration politics". 0ur political correspondent eleanor garnier is in westminster. first of all, just explain to us why this declaration or whyjeremy

corbyn‘s tax affairs are public and what has gone wrong for him? as you say, labour wants people to publish their tax returns because they think it will be more transparent. they said that for anyone in the uk who earns over £1 million, is labour we re earns over £1 million, is labour were in power, they would be asking them to publish their tax returns. john mcdonald, the channel —— shadow chancellor in january john mcdonald, the channel —— shadow chancellor injanuary published his own tax return and this morning, chancellor philip hammond said he will not be publishing his tax returns. in an attempt to ramp up the pressure on the chancellor, jeremy corbyn, the labour leader, went on his constituency website this afternoon and published his tax return. it showed he earned £114,000 and paid around £35,000 in tax. the only problem forjeremy corbyn is the statement is that he put on his website failed to show the income he

gets, the extra income he gets, for being leader of the opposition and for the period we are talking about, thatis for the period we are talking about, that is around £37,000. he is trying to be more transparent and he says on his website, "i haven't made it clear that i think it is right for party leaders to be opened and transparent about their tax arrangements. —— open." he has come arrangements. —— open." he has come a bit ofa arrangements. —— open." he has come a bit of a cropper. sources say there is no issue with his tax returns. "we are adamant he has paid all his tax because it is taxed at source." it is not a conspiracy but it has not worked out very well for mr corbyn. cleveland police are investigating after a woman was abducted in redcar and raped by two men. detectives say the woman was with her toddler when she and the child were forced into the back of a car by the men. she taken four miles to yearby where she was raped, then dumped six hours later in another area of redcar.

police are investigating whether the attackers knew the victim. francois fillon has told a rally of his supporters that he'll stay in the french presidential race, while admitting misjudgements over employing his wife. he says he's done nothing illegal but he's being investigated for paying his wife for work she is alleged not to have done. mr fillon faces a key test tomorrow with a statement due from his former rival alain juppe — and a meeting of party officials. 0ur paris correspondent lucy williamson's report contains flashing images. despite the temporary comfort of a crowd, francois fillon is an isolated man. his party no longer united behind him, his campaign director gone, his candidacy dismissed by some as a collective suicide mission. after weeks of pressure to step aside, mr fillon today turned the fire back on his party colleagues, telling them it was time to make up their mind. translation: i have

examined my conscience, and to the men and women of my camp, i say it's your turn to examine your conscience. will you let the interests of factions and careers prevail over the greatness and coherence of a project that has the support of millions? he's lost political allies and campaign staff, but francois fillon has stayed defiant through it all. now, with party figures closing ranks against him, he's gathered his supporters for a last, desperate show of force. 0nstage behind him, his wife penelope. paying her was a mistake, he says, but not illegal. translation: i'm convinced by fillon even more when i see people giving up and leaving the ship when we actually need someone like him.

but his supporters are now mainly voters from the hard right of the party. polls suggest that 70% of the country at large want him to go, and that his party rival, alainjuppe, has a much better chance of making it to the presidential palace. so why is mr fillon so determined to hold on? he has truly inside his hard disk the cult of the chief, the chief and the people. he was elected in the primaries, he was elected by the people, so he remembers only this sequence. he doesn't want to realise the rest. on the other side of paris today, a protest by those who say they want him gone. in a television interview tonight, francois fillon made it clear there would be no political suicide. no—one can stop me being a candidate, he said. as party colleagues continue to abandon him, he still insists allegiance is the only choice. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. just been getting some news in the

last few minutes from the south korean military. they say that north korean military. they say that north korea has fired what it described as an unidentified project file from a missile base. the project all landed in the sea off north korea's east coast. it is me that border with china where they fired a long—range rocket last year which put something into orbit. it was condemned by the un for violating resolutions which banned the use of missile technology and more recently, north korea has fired and other missile, there to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. they haven't developed that quite yet but firing one and there was a great protest particularly from countries like japan. north korea, alleged by south korea, has fired an

unidentified project which ended up in the sea. the headlines on bbc news: the chancellor, philip hammond, has set the tone for this week's budget by dismissing calls to increase government borrowing. president trump has asked the us congress to investigate allegations that the obama administration tapped his telephones before last year's presidential election. a former director of national intelligence has denied the claims. the french presidential hopeful, francois fillon, has said he will not withdraw his candidacy, despite the allegations about payments he made to his wife and children. sport now, with a full—round up from the bbc sport centre. here's will. hello.

great britain won seven medals today at the european indoor athletics, taking their tally to ten as they finished second overall behind poland. two of them were gold, with laura muir becoming only the second briton to win two individual events at the european indoors after adding gold in the 3,000 metres to that 1,500 metres title she took yesterday. she stormed to victory in belgrade in a championship record time ahead of turkey's yasemin can and compatriot, eilish mccolgan. muir's achievements matched those of colinjackson set in paris 23 years ago, before she was even born. idid not i did not know what i was going to do today and i just tried to i did not know what i was going to do today and ijust tried to hang in there and i was feeling a bit tired. iamso there and i was feeling a bit tired. i am so glad. what was the plan at the outset? did it go according to plan? yeah. it went well. ijust tagged onto my compatriot. i managed to finish in first place! there was also gold for asha philip. she pulled off a surprise,

breaking the british record on her way to winning the 60 metres. it's her first individual medal at a major senior championships. iamso i am so happy. i was not doubting myself. i knew i had it in me. that confidence got me through the race. but on the start line every time those thoughts started happening. it was only a little niggle. then i thought, it was all in my head. i am going to do my best. and i am so, so happy. england's cricketers have wrapped—up the one—day series against west indies early, winning the second match in antigua by four wickets. patrick gearey reports. tips for tourists in antigua, dress appropriately, staying in the shade, and take early wickets. the ball was swinging, the ball wasn't. and this

player made 50. the teammates found england had a plan for everything. this catch was a 2—man job. another step, six. england made the impressive look simple. when he is on form, that is ourjason roy bats. 255 is what he was chasing. he seemed to stroll. england's world whirled. suddenly, six men were out. joe root was in. alongside chris woa kes, joe root was in. alongside chris woakes, the joe root was in. alongside chris woa kes, the captain joe root was in. alongside chris woakes, the captain led england to the win and to the series. patrick geary, bbc news. tottenham closed the gap at the top of the premier league with a 3—2 win over everton. it's a club record ninth consecutive home win for spurs. harry kane scored twice. dele alli got tottenham's third. romelu lukaku and enner valencia were on the scoresheet for everton. mauricio potchetino's side are now seven points behind leaders, chelsea, who face west ham on monday. it is another fantastic achievement

for that group. i think we feel very, very proud about that, to break that home record. i think that is making history. we are starting to make history with that group and the young players. it is only the start of the good things that are coming in the future. manchester city moved back up to third, a point behind tottenham, with a game in hand after a 2—0 win at bottom side, sunderland. sergio aguero and leroy sane with city's goals. we made a good performance. the first few minutes were tough because for sunderland it means we expected how aggressive they were in the intensity they played. we were lucky that we made a very good first goal. but we went to half—time1—0. it is

com pletely but we went to half—time1—0. it is completely different to draw than losing. and we played very, very good. it will be an old firm derby in the semi—final of the scottish cup after celtic thrashed st mirren 4—1 in the last eight. aberdeen have been drawn against hibs after their 1—0 victory over partick thistle. graeme shinnie with the goal to put them into the semi finals. that's all the sport for now. thank you very much, will. iraqi troops are said to be close to recapturing the main government building in western mosul amid intense clashes with so—called islamic state. aid agencies say more than 200 thousand people have now fled the city, many seeking shelter in a camp at hamam al alil, 20 miles south of mosul. our correspondent, rami ruhayem, reports from there. the people of mosul endured yet another round of fighting between iraqi government forces and so—called islamic state. when you

remain trapped within the city, others decide to flee. exhausted and hungry, they arrive in droves. in just two hours, we saw more than five busloads of people arrive here in hamam al—alil. children, the wilted and scared. many were far too young to understand. —— bewildered. translation: islamic state were firing at us. we were just running and running until we got to the army. some were grateful for the help of the army. but these men said their homes were hit by army shelling. almost everyone had to walk through the battlefield, risking their lives, before finally reaching safety and getting on one of these buses. after a long and

dangerous journey on foot and under fire from all sides, the refugees from western mosul arrived at this camp in hamam al—alil. they have escaped with their lives, but their misery is farfrom escaped with their lives, but their misery is far from over. escaped with their lives, but their misery is farfrom over. and escaped with their lives, but their misery is far from over. and they keep arriving in their thousands every day. far too many for authorities to deal with. so many are seeking refuge. with such an unrelenting flow, the authorities can hardly keep up. soon, some are back on the bus again, heading to other camps across the region. they have little idea when they will go back to mosul, and what they will find their when the battle is over. rami ruhayem, bbc news, hamam al—alil, south of mosul. ahead of this week's budget, the government is considering a range of measures designed to clean up the air in our cities. with toxic pollution linked to thousands of deaths each year the high court has ordered ministers to come up with urgent solutions. in the first of a series of reports this week looking at ways to improve the air we breathe,

here's our science editor, david shukman. the congested streets of leicester, a city with typical levels of pollution. if the traffic is stuck and engines are idling, the air rapidly becomes less healthy. it is extra busy for you on cambridge road. temporary lights... so, like in many places, a local radio warns ofjams. a control centre keeps watch. instruments on key streets monitor where there is potentially harmful air, and knowing it, helps to programme the traffic lights to keep the roads moving. this information we are now getting is really highlighting where the real pollution, the potentially harmful health effects, may be in our city. one of the things we could do, for example, is to improve our transport systems so that our congested traffic is not queued up outside of primary schools and old people's homes, but instead, is queued in different parts of the city where there is going

to be less harm. another approach is to clean up the vehicles causing the pollution. here at bath university, engineers test a diesel car. diesels are good for fuel efficiency, so people were encouraged to buy them, but they're bad for air quality and volkswagen was caught cheating in the tests. the car is made to simulate real driving. modern vehicles are fitted with devices to control pollution. here, they believe they can make cars much cleaner. this diesel meets the latest european emissions standards, so let me show you what that means. there are a string of devices for reducing pollution. this one, introduced a couple of years ago, cuts the amount of nitrogen dioxide, and this one is a trap for pollution particles, introduced about eight years ago. the problem is the sheer number of diesels out there on the roads that don't have any of this. one idea is a scheme

to scrap older diesels, and the transport secretary has warned people to think hard before buying a new diesels. there are greener alternatives but they are more expensive. so who should pay for cleaner cars? whichever way you approach it, you are asking people to spend more in taxation or more to buy new vehicles. and we need to decide whether that's something we're comfortable with, as a society. back in leicester, a new portable pollution monitor is carried by 14—year—old logan eddie. the device in the backpack measures the air. and on this display, the lines show how much pollution he's experienced. he and his friends are suddenly more aware. the people who have found out have stopped waiting right near the buses after school for their friends, that i know of. they have been waiting nearer to the leisure centre and further away from the buses. keep away. yeah, it's obviously had an impact on them. the government is under legal pressure to unveil a new clean air plan next month. in the meantime, the best advice is to minimise the time we spend in the busiest and most—polluted streets.

david shukman bbc news. now it is time to look at the prospects of the weather in the next few days. a bit of rain around but maybe the temperatures will go up. you are right. we saw all sorts early on today. snow, hail, and some rain as well. even some sunshine. scotla nd rain as well. even some sunshine. scotland and northern ireland did the best with sunshine. it did not make it into wales. all of this blue is rain, sleet and snow, drifting ever eastwards, taking with it wetter weather. outbreaks of rain through this evening and overnight across the eastern side of england. scattered showers into the of scotland. a touch of frost in the mainland of scotland. also, another area of rain creeping into the south and west. a chilly night. typically, major towns and cities, three, four, five degrees. not just major towns and cities, three, four, five degrees. notjust rain, in the

south—west, at least some snow in the tops of the moors. pretty wet. not a great commute. it may drift into wales. in the south—east, a reasonable start for the day. always more clout in eastern england. still some patches of rain. quite patchy by this stage. the north of england, quite bright. quite chilly. some mist and fog patches as well. a lot of dry weather for most, but a shower or two in the north and west, where it is also quite windy. it will be winding towards the south—west as well. that should help to clear the air. —— windy. the cloud will move away towards the south. then it is a day of sunny spells generally speaking. the best of sunny spells towards the west. northern ireland, quite cloudy towards the afternoon with rain moving in. temperatures, nine, ten, oi’ moving in. temperatures, nine, ten, or 11 degrees. monday night, as we go through it, things quieten down. very little to speak of as pressure

rises. quite chilly ahead of this next weather system. a chilly start, 3- next weather system. a chilly start, 3— five degrees. a bright one for many. northern ireland will go down quickly. wet and windy as it will be in western scotland, the western side of england and wales as well. it will be into the latter part of afternoon and the evening when the rain gets to the eastern side of the hills of scotland. dull and damp for many in the evening. cloud and rain across the south of the uk with scattered showers towards the north and west. a lot going on over the next few days. keep up—to—date with all the details. i think you will find things will get more mild towards the end of the week. hello. this is bbc news with xxx. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment — first the headlines. the chancellor, phillip hammond, has dismissed as "reckless" calls for him to increase spending in his first budget on wednesday.

we are paying over £50 billion a year just we are paying over £50 billion a yearjust on maintaining our debt. the white house demands that congress investigate whether barack obama ordered wire—taps on president trump before last year's election. a former director of national intelligence denies the claims. there was no wiretap activity mounted against the president elect at the time or as a candidate or against his campaign. the french centre—right presidential candidate, francois fillon says he won't withdraw his candidacy — but he admitted to misjudgements in dealing with allegations of corruption. the iraqi army says it's close to recapturing the main government building in western mosul from the so—called islamic state