Well, that was a busy Sunday. We kicked off with the morning's political programmes, before the Conservatives launched their manifesto - and then came the reaction to it.

So, in a nutshell, what happened?

• Boris Johnson launched his party's manifesto in Shropshire, telling supporters his party would "get Brexit done" and "forge a new Britain". Our assistant political editor Norman Smith said it was a pared-back, "take-no-chances" manifesto. Read our main story for all the details.
• Most of the key policies were trailed before, but the major new announcement in Mr Johnson's speech was a pledge to increase the number of nurses in the NHS England workforce by 50,000 by 2024-5 and restore the student nursing grants scrapped in 2017. Read analysis from our correspondents on the Tories' 12 main policies here.
• Mr Johnson also promised that - with a majority - he would bring his Brexit deal back by Christmas and the UK would leave the EU in January.

• Meanwhile, Labour promised compensation for Waspi women - those who lost out on years of state pension payments when their retirement age was raised. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell admitted the policy was expensive but said the funding would be a "very special arrangement, a contingency". Read more about the Waspi women's campaign here.
• Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her conditions for supporting a Labour government in the event of a hung Parliament. The SNP leader told Sky this morning that she would insist the Trident nuclear deterrent be scrapped and Brexit be stopped, as well as seeking commitment to an independence referendum next year. Read the full story here.
• And Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson repeated her promise that her party would not put Mr Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn into No 10. However, she told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that she would vote for a bill proposing a second Brexit referendum.

Now, with 18 days to go until polling day (and two days left to register to vote), all the main parties have launched their respective manifestos. Head here to check out our interactive guide to compare their policies.

Thanks for joining us, see you tomorrow.

Reality Check

The Conservatives are promising the “largest ever pothole fixing programme”. They plan to allocate £500m a year for four years to fixing holes in the road.

So will that fix every hole?

According to the Asphalt Industry Association’s latest survey, nearly two million potholes were filled last year in England and Wales, at a cost of just under £100m. That’s about £50 a pothole.

Local authorities were able to fill over 300,000 more potholes than the previous year, though the sum spent barely rose.

That’s because councils are trying, a bit more, to fill in potholes as part of planned repairs, rather than patching them up on an ad-hoc basis.

Potholes are just one, very visible form of road surface degradation, all of which contribute to accidents and damage to vehicles.

How much would it cost to repair every road completely? Clearing the maintenance backlog on the whole road network would cost £9bn for England’s roads, plus £800m for Wales, according to the AIA.

Image source, Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, the unions don't think much of the Tory manifesto. Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, says the party are offering nothing for the country's "forgotten and left behind" towns and communities.

Describing it a "wafer thin offering", Manuel Cortes, leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, says: "No serious party would come to the table with so little to say, and on Brexit, Johnson just sounds like a scratched record.

"He may not be aware but the Tories have been promising to get Brexit done for over three years. Saying it time and time again won't make it happen."

And Unison general secretary Dave Prentis says: "No-one should be fooled by the promises for the NHS and public sector. For the past nine years the Tories have slashed funding and let services slide.

"Now they are trumpeting a reversal of their own bungled policy of scrapping the nursing bursary - a problem of their own making."

Image source, PA

Earlier, we told you how the IFS's Paul Johnson felt the Tory manifesto showed a "remarkable" lack of significant policy action (see our post at 4.37PM).

Now we can give you his thoughts on the "triple lock" on taxes - ruling out increases in the headline rate of income tax and National Insurance, as well as VAT, for five years - which he says is a "pretty disappointing kind of promise".

"It's tying the hands of the chancellor," he says.

Mr Johnson says that in order to pay for the increased investment in public services that the parties are promising, "some taxes are going to have to rise".

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Image source, AFP/ Getty Images

In a funny way, the Tory campaign is hoping this manifesto doesn't cause an enormous splash.

Lots of Conservatives are really haunted by the calamity of what happen after the Conservative manifesto in 2017.

That was the moment Theresa May's campaign really started to unravel - more from the archive on that here.

This manifesto is really a 'steady as she goes' document.

But we shouldn't let that mask the fact that there are fundamental difference between the parties on how to run the economy and the size of the state.

Image source, Reuters

We've been bombarding you with policy announcements and analysis from our experts.

But sometimes, all you need is a simple guide to the key issues.

Guess what? We have one here.

Image source, Getty Images

One of the most eye-catching policies announced by the Conservatives is a pledge to increase the number of nurses in the NHS England workforce by 50,000 by 2024-5.

But when are new nurses new nurses?

Our health editor Hugh Pym explains: "It is not right to say that the Conservatives plan to recruit 50,000 more nurses or find 50,000 new nurses."

The Tories' aim is to train 14,000 new graduates and undergraduates by increasing the number of university training places.

And it's hoped that an expanded nurse apprenticeship schemes will bring in another 5,000.

A further 12,500 nurses will be recruited from abroad, through a new NHS visa.

Finally, it is hoped that 18,500 nurses will be encouraged to stay in the profession or return to work through improved career development opportunities and an enhanced retention programme.

So, our correspondent says: "It is correct to say that the party wants to add 50,000 more nurses to the existing workforce total of around 300,000."

Image source, Getty Images

The Confederation of Business Industries (CBI) - a group representing businesses - has responded to the Conservative manifesto.

Deputy director-general Josh Hardie said businesses "will be heartened by a pro-enterprise vision, while looking for even more ambition on areas such as access to skills and infrastructure".

He also warned that "sustainable economic growth will be risked if there is a needless rush for a bare bones Brexit deal that would slow down our domestic progress for a generation".

And he called for "a new immigration system that gives access to the full range of skills and labour the economy needs" as well as urging the government to offer its "unequivocal backing for key projects like HS2 and Heathrow.“

The Tory manifesto gives some more details about the party's policies on constitutional issues.

"After Brexit we also need to look at the broader aspects of our constitution: the relationship between the Government, Parliament and the courts; the functioning of the Royal Prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice for ordinary people," it says.

Mr Johnson has had a difficult relationship with the courts since becoming prime minister, with the Supreme Court ruling that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks was unlawful.

His manifesto also includes a pledge to "update" the Human Rights Act "to ensure that there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government".

To examine these issues, a Tory government would set up a "Constitution, Democracy & Rights Commission", it says.

Image source, PA Media

And on Northern Ireland, the manifesto says the UK is stronger and richer for it being a part of it. In particular, it says:

• The party is committed to re-establishing the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) and Assembly
• Its Brexit deal will allow Northern Ireland’s businesses and producers to have "unfettered" access to the rest of the UK, maintaining "the integrity and smooth operation of our internal market"
• Post Brexit, it will help the NIE improve infrastructure, enterprise and tourism. It says it will devolve responsibility for corporation tax and will consider the same for short-haul air passenger duty
• On security issues, it says keeping people safe and secure will always be a priority. It pledges to take action to tackle terrorist threats and the "scourge of paramilitarism"
• It promises to give veterans "the protections they deserve" and find better outcomes for victims and survivors of legacy issues

Image source, Getty Images

The party's general election manifesto says it is "ambitious" for the Welsh economy.

The country would get "major investments" in infrastructure and industry, support for Welsh language institutions, and continued backing for Welsh car manufacturing.

You can read more detail on these promises here.

Alison Holt
Social affairs correspondent

The Conservatives confirm that they will continue the roll out of Universal Credit, despite the controversy that has dogged the new benefits system.

As has already been announced, they are ending the freeze on benefits, which will mean a 1.7% increase in the money people get next April.

They also pledge to reduce the number of reassessments that people with disabilities face for their benefits, with a National Strategy for Disabled People promised by the end of 2020.

There is a commitment to reduce poverty, including child poverty, through the tax and benefits system - but no detail on how that will be achieved or how ongoing complaints about the failings of the Universal Credit will be addressed.

More reaction, this time from the independent research group the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The group's director, Paul Johnson says: "If the Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos were notable for the scale of their ambitions the Conservative one is not.

"If a single Budget had contained all these tax and spending proposals we would have been calling it modest.

"As a blueprint for five years in government the lack of significant policy action is remarkable."

He goes on to highlight what he says is a notable omission.

"Taken at face value today’s manifesto suggests that for most services, in terms of day-to-day spending, that’s it. Health and school spending will continue to rise.

"Give or take pennies, other public services, and working age benefits, will see the cuts to their day-to-day budgets of the last decade baked in.

"One notable omission is any plan for social care. In his first speech as Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to 'fix the crisis in social care once and for all'.

"After two decades of dither by both parties in government it seems we are no further forward."

Image source, PA Media

Back to the other parties now, and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he recognises much of the Conservative manifesto "because they're things that I have campaigned on for years, such as hospital parking charges".

"So, I'm pleased that they are changing the agenda.

"They're even talking, maybe, about reducing immigration levels and of course Brexit.

"My question is, do they mean it and are they going to deliver?"

Chris Morris
BBC Reality Check

In the least surprising promise in this manifesto, Boris Johnson makes a personal guarantee that he will "get Brexit done" and leave the EU in January if he wins a majority.

He says that will end the political divisions in the country - but that seems unlikely.

The Conservatives also promise to negotiate a trade deal with the EU next year, and have confirmed as a written manifesto pledge that they will not extend the post-Brexit transition period beyond December 2020.

That is an incredibly short amount of time to finalise a trade deal of any significant ambition, and it means the EU knows in advance what the UK’s negotiating deadlines are.

The Conservatives say the UK will be outside the EU single market, and any form of customs union.

There will be no political alignment with the EU, the manifesto says, and it promises that the UK will be in full control of its fishing waters.

But until we know the terms of a new relationship with the EU, business uncertainty will continue.

And it will be hard to argue that Brexit has really been done.

Katie Prescott
Today business presenter

The UK’s homes are so poorly insulated that to meet our 2050 climate commitments we need a nationwide programme to upgrade them.

According to the Business Select Committee, it is a national infrastructure priority.

The Tories' pledge to spend £2,860 per household on improving the energy efficiency of social housing would affect 2.2 million homes but there’s no mention of what would be done for those who own their home.

The claim that households could save up to £750 a year on their energy bills, following the retrofitting, sounds optimistic and could only apply to homes with terrible energy efficiency.

The typical saving after such work, experts say, tends to be more like £50.

And the policy is dwarfed by Labour’s promises of spending £9,300 per home on almost all of the UK's 27 million homes – costing £250bn.

Image source, Reuters

The Conservative manifesto has promised to "strengthen" the union of the UK, saying:

• The party is opposed to a second independence referendum. It says the SNP promised in 2014 the referendum should be "once in a generation", adding: "We believe that outcome should be respected"
• It will replace an EU funding scheme with what it calls a "UK shared prosperity fund" to tackle inequality in each of the four nations. It says it will at least match the funding from the EU's scheme
• There will be a post-Brexit deal for Scottish fishing which will involve leaving the Common Fisheries Policy and becoming an "independent coastal state"
• There will also be a review of alcohol duty "to ensure that our tax system is supporting British drink producers"
• The North Sea oil and gas sector has a "key role to play" in reducing greenhouse gas emissions - it promises to "support this transition" with a new sector deal

Image source, Getty Images

As you've probably gathered, Boris Johnson launched the Tory Party manifesto this afternoon in Telford. We'll carry on bringing you the latest reaction and analysis but if you missed his speech here's a quick recap on that and the other main stories from today:

• The major new announcement in Mr Johnson's speech was a plan to train 50,000 more nurses and to restore student nursing grants scrapped in 2017.
• Other manifesto pledges include bringing back his Brexit deal by Christmas and tighter immigration controls.
• But the prime minister has dropped a plan to lift income tax thresholds for middle-earners to £80,000, announced during the Tory leadership campaign. You can read more on the Tories' key policies here.
• Meanwhile, Labour promised compensation for the Waspi women - who lost out on years of state pension payments when their retirement age was raised. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell admitted the policy was expensive but said the funding would be a "very special arrangement, a contingency". You can read more about the Waspi women's campaign here.
• Nicola Sturgeon has been reiterating her conditions for supporting a Labour government in the event of a hung parliament. The SNP leader told Sky's Sophy Ridge that scrapping the Trident nuclear deterrent would be a red line, along with stopping Brexit and a commitment to an independence referendum next year. Read the full story here.
• And Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson repeated her promise that her party would not put Mr Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn into No 10. However, she told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that she would vote for a bill which put a Brexit deal to the public in a referendum.

We've heard a bit about what Labour think of the Tory manifesto, and now it's over to the Lib Dems.

Deputy leader Sir Ed Davey says it is "built on a lie" that "Brexit can be implemented without causing years of chaos and damage to our economy".

“These promises are not worth the paper they are written on," he says.

"Boris Johnson’s Farage-endorsed Brexit deal would leave the UK £70bn worse off, meaning less money to invest in our schools, hospitals and tackling the climate emergency.

“The best way to build a brighter future is to stop Brexit, so we can invest the £50bn Remain bonus in our public services and tackling inequality.”

Branwen Jeffreys
Education Editor

Image source, Getty Images

For most degree students and their universities there is little in this manifesto.

Simply a promise to look carefully at the "thoughtful" suggestions in the review led by Philip Augar.

In the short term, this suggests the current freeze of tuition fees in England at their current level of £9,250 will continue.

That could eventually have the same effect as the cut proposed by the Augar review panel because of inflation. Interest rates on student loans are to be reviewed again.

On lifelong learning, the offer is more modest than both the Lib Dems training wallet and Labour’s promise of six years' free adult learning.

Instead, the manifesto says the Conservatives would work towards a right to retrain. A new National Skills Fund appears to overlap with a scheme to boost retraining already under way.

Further education colleges may be disappointed that there is no extra money to raise the funding rate for the 16 to 18-year-olds they educate but there is some consolation in the form of cash towards fixing crumbling buildings.