the paris games this summer. conservative party plotters seeking to oust rishi sunak should "stop messing around" and end the "westminster psychodrama", that's according to cabinet minister, kemi badenoch. the business secretary spoke out after widespread speculation about tory mps considering replacing the prime minister with commons leader penny mordaunt in an attempt to avoid a general election disaster. well, ms badenoch was speaking on bbc breakfast — she started by answering questions about conservative party donor frank hester — who has already donated £10 million to the party and it's now reported £5m more in donations to the conservtive party may still be being processed. i've just said that he's apologised for his comments. i think that that should be the end of the matter. i think this endless churning around of exactly when and how much the donations were is a distraction from the work which i am doing here today in coventry, where we're talking

about small businesses and how to make life easier for entrepreneurs. the prime minister has been working very hard on a package that is going to improve the wellbeing and welfare of small businesses and self—employed people across the country, including many people who are ethnic minorities. that's what's going to make their lives easier, irrespective of whether or not there's been a donation here or there to the conservative party. but while you talk about jobs in coventry with the prime minister, it is the prime minister's own job which is the speculation on the front page of virtually all the newspapers i've got here in front of me. and people are saying part of that is that he didn't lead quickly enough on this issue about donations, that, yes, he said these comments, these alleged comments, were racist after you said they were racist. but until you spoke out, he didn't that he was following your lead. well, i disagree with that. i believe that they were

establishing the facts of the matter. i gave a personal opinion, and to be honest, i don't want a prime minister who'sjust going to be lurching out making comments every five minutes in response to the media. what he's not doing is following the media's lead, and i'm very pleased that he agreed with me. but i was making my comments in a personal capacity as the only black woman in the cabinet. this was last tuesday. here's our political correspondent, henry zeffman — talking about the mood within the conservative party. the mood is really dark in the conservative party at the moment and it got a lot darker last week. a couple of reasons. one happened at the start of last week, a week ago today, the decision by lee anderson former

conservative mp to join reform uk, that party on the right which many conservative mps are worried about but the other thing happened when you heard a little bit about in that interview was these allegations about comments made by frank hester, a big conservative party donor, he gave the party £10 million last year. now the conservatives initially repeated the defence of frank hester which was that he was sorry for the comments he made but that they were not related to race or gender but within 2a hours of that line you had the prime minister rishi sunak saying actually the comments at least as reported were racist and it was that mishandling that most aggrieved conservative mps so the mood in the come against a very bleak backdrop. they are way behind the labour party in the opinion polls and have been for some time. those polls do not seem to be budging, a general election is coming at some point this year and if the polls do not budge and turn out to be correct in the conservative party is headed for a bad defeat.

kemi badenoch at one point this morning talked about the fact penny mordaunt who a lot of this speculation is around would shoot down the rumours as well but have we heard anything from her and what has been the history here of penny mordaunt often being touted as a potential conservative party leader? we have not heard from her and i wonder if we are reaching a point she might want to say something especially if she does want to hose down the rumours because they are on the front pages of certain newspapers since friday and in political terms that is quite a long time for that story to be running. the history she has wanted to be conservative party leader for some time, we know that because she stood in both of the 2022 conservative party leadership elections to succeed boris johnson, she came third and she stood against rishi sunak in the aftermath of liz truss so she wants to be leader and a lot of mps wanted her to be leader instead of liz truss and she seems to be popular with the grassroots. let's be clear. this is just some conservative mps who are muttering about the

leadership. for many as it stands, i think the overwhelming majority of conservative mps, changing leader again will be completely ridiculous. but you have got to remember that context, as it stands a lot of conservative mps think they are going to lose their seats and jobs at the general election and that is what is behind all of these ramblings. councils in england say they're now spending an average of two thirds of their budget on vital services, for adults and children. bbc panorama found that spending per head on children s services alone, has risen by 77% in a decade. the county councils network is now calling for an honest discussion with the government about future funding, but ministers say councils have already been given additional money. here's our social affairs editor, alison holt. it's half past seven in the morning,

and 17—year—old harley is getting the school bus. his special educational needs mean he gets support from havering council in greater london. you've got that smile before you get on my bus, thank you. including getting him to and from college. for harley, obviously a lot of support around the physical. harley cannot transfer out of his wheelchair, so he needs people around him that are going to guide him and keep him safe. we always have fun in the bus. but havering council has been fighting to stop itself going bust. it's planning cuts and savings, including to special needs transport. parents are angry. the transport is huge, because he wants to be as independent as he can. he's going to college. lewis is cheeky. lewis is absolutely cheeky. yes. he's very sociable. he needs to feel included and part of society, and be able to experience as much as he can, the same as everyone else can. all right, are we all in? fantastic.

ijust like being on - the bus with my mates. that's my life now. overfive months, bbc panorama has followed havering as it's tried to balance the needs of people like harley, against the council's deep financial problems. cathy freeman is the chief financial officer. last autumn she warned they faced an overspend of more than £50 million in the next 12 months. the council leader is ray morgan of the residents association. it just shows the scale of the problem. it's the most challenging budget that i've seen. but at the end of the day, we do have to consider all of these really difficult decisions. the problem is, many people think, well, obviously council tax primarily went to pay for cleaning their streets, repairing their roads, providing libraries and making sure their parks were in good order, trees were maintained. but no, it's not. on average, councils in england now spend two thirds of their budgets

on children's services and adult social care. can we just start with what your relationship is to the child? analysis shows per head spending on children's services up by 77% in a decade. can ijust discuss this one? but the money havering gets from central government has reduced in real terms, and grants are calculated on the population they had more than a decade ago. since then, it's grown by io%, or 25,000 people. we've been cutting back council services for the last decade or more now. the position is unsustainable. it's untenable. so, we're not sticking our heads in the sand. we want people to listen, and we need a response. this is my letter to the minister. in early march, the government told havering it could borrow up to £54 million to avoid going bust. it says it's given local authorities extra funding, but they are responsible for their own finances. even with the loan, havering residents will find most cuts still go ahead, and more are likely to be needed.

alison holt, bbc news. the spending watchdog has warned that a low uptake of heat pumps is slowing progresss on cutting emissions from homes. a national audit office report says sales will have to increase ii—fold if the government is to achieve its climate change targets. let's get more form our climate and science reporter, esme stallard. thank you forjoining us. at the incentives from the government not been working? the incentives from the government not been working?— been working? the nationalaudit office has pointed _ been working? the nationalaudit office has pointed out _ been working? the nationalaudit office has pointed out it - been working? the nationalaudit office has pointed out it has - been working? the national audit i office has pointed out it has helped to make the technology is more affordable so the main scheme they haveis affordable so the main scheme they have is a boiler upgrade scheme offering households seven and a half thousand pounds to upgrade their heat pump which makes it comparable to a gas boiler but the key finding is not enough people know about heat pumps or they are needed within

homes to help reduce emissions. the other main concern was the government dithering over hydrogen. heat pumps are a green alternatives to gas boiler and they use electricity instead of gas and that means is we use more renewable energy to produce electricity then fewer emissions will be produced but hydrogen is another alternative and over the last year we have seen hydrogen trials counselled across the uk and the national audit office says the government needs to make a definite decision on whether to go with heat pumps or hydrogen because it means the industry can invest and get behind heat pumps which will help lower costs further. part get behind heat pumps which will help lower costs further.- help lower costs further. part of the argument — help lower costs further. part of the argument government - help lower costs further. part of the argument government has l help lower costs further. part of. the argument government has used help lower costs further. part of - the argument government has used is that heat pumps can save people money during a cost of living crisis but what does the data show? lip but what does the data show? up front but what does the data show? ii? front at the moment it's still more expensive, this grant scheme helps but in terms of running an actual heat pump that all depends on the

electricity and gas crisis so he pumps a more efficient to run than gas boilers, they use electricity and not gas. currently electricity still remains generally more expensive so it doesn't become cheaper to run. how could we fix that? the national audit office says the government needs to accelerate their plans to remove some of the taxes associated with electricity which could help to lower the costs. as yet, we have had a two—year delay on the plans by the government and thatis on the plans by the government and that is hindering the ability for heat pumps to help people with bills. ~ . ., , heat pumps to help people with bills. ~ _, , ., bills. when it comes to the government _ bills. when it comes to the government pledged - bills. when it comes to the government pledged to - bills. when it comes to the government pledged to cut bills. when it comes to the . government pledged to cut uk emissions, where are we at? the uk has made quite _ emissions, where are we at? the uk has made quite significant _ emissions, where are we at? the uk has made quite significant progressl has made quite significant progress in reducing emissions primarily because we moved away from coal but emissions from heating homes represent almost a fifth of the uk total emissions and what we are seeing is that is not coming down quickly enough. if we switch gas

boilers it would make a significant impact on reducing emissions and the government has a target for 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 which would help out at the moment it seems we are a long way of achieving that and therefore emissions will remain potentially much too high from heating homes.— potentially much too high from heatin: homes. . ~ ., ., heating homes. thank you for that. some breaking _ heating homes. thank you for that. some breaking news _ heating homes. thank you for that. some breaking news now. - heating homes. thank you for that. - some breaking news now. a47-year-old some breaking news now. ali7—year—old man has been arrested after a man and woman were injured in separate crossbow attacks in shoreditch in east london. the metropolitan police say the man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. following his arrest officer searched an address and discovered a crossbow, knives and other weapons. officers say they are keeping an open mind regarding the motive for these attacks and enquiries are continuing. a bbc investigation reveals that only one in five of the nhs

mental health trusts and boards in england and wales say they provide at least one specialist in disorders, such as tourettes syndrome. bbc radio 5 live sent freedom of information requests to more than 50 trusts and health boards. of those that responded, only 12 said they had clinicians with specialised expertise in this area. let's speak to the ceo of tourettes action, emma mcnally. thank you forjoining us. i know yourjourney into campaigning on this issue started with your son. i would love to learn more about that and what spurred you on with your own work. mr; and what spurred you on with your own work. y ,., and what spurred you on with your own work. g ,., .,, and what spurred you on with your own work-— and what spurred you on with your own work. g ,., .,, .., own work. my son was under the care of a neurologist _ own work. my son was under the care of a neurologist at _ own work. my son was under the care of a neurologist at a _ own work. my son was under the care of a neurologist at a local— own work. my son was under the care of a neurologist at a local hospital - of a neurologist at a local hospital and in 2020 the neurologist retired and in 2020 the neurologist retired and at that point there was a mass discharge of all the patients with tourette's saying there was no one else to take on their care so i

started trying to find another neurologist or a paediatric doctor or someone who could see us and there was no one available to cso that led me to campaigning for change around tourette's because i thought how can this be the case? that there is no want to diagnose or treat these people with a condition thatis treat these people with a condition that is not even a rare condition? i want to read you a statement we received this morning from the welsh government and they said the nhs executive performance and assurance team has reviewed children's neurodevelopmental service and it shows every health burden mass provides an access to diagnostic pathway for tourette's and they've been provided with recommendations on which to improve services. we received similar things from the social and health department. i wonder do you think that enough is actually being done? ida. wonder do you think that enough is actually being done?—

actually being done? no, i did not. in terms actually being done? no, i did not. in terms of— actually being done? no, i did not. in terms of wales, _ actually being done? no, i did not. in terms of wales, they _ actually being done? no, i did not. in terms of wales, they are - actually being done? no, i did not. in terms of wales, they are trying l in terms of wales, they are trying to improve things. i know that. over the past couple of years they are trying to put improvements in place but we are contacted daily by families of the uk who are struggling to get a diagnosis and care after a diagnosis. we hear all the time that people are diagnosed and discharged in the same appointment with no follow—up care. it should not be happening. because it's not a rare condition. it's as if it is treated as a rare condition but all we are asking for is a level playing field, the same as other conditions with the same prevalence. that stress and experience of trying to get a diagnosis, trying to follow up to get a diagnosis, trying to follow up on your own car and finding that you are meeting these potential blocks each time, what impact does that have on people suffering with the condition? i that have on people suffering with the condition?—

that have on people suffering with the condition? i think it has a huge im act the condition? i think it has a huge impact because — the condition? i think it has a huge impact because at _ the condition? i think it has a huge impact because at that _ the condition? i think it has a huge impact because at that stage - the condition? i think it has a huge impact because at that stage they | the condition? i think it has a huge l impact because at that stage they do not actually know what they are dealing with so say for instance it is a child and they are in school, they have nothing to tell the school, the school does not know any adjustments to put in place or how to help. very often you might find families will tell the child of four things they cannot help because they are not aware that these are ticks that the child is displaying so i think it has a huge impact and on the child as well, not knowing what they are dealing with. i think getting a diagnosis can help them understand what is happening to their body and what is going on and potentially what the future holds for them. ., ~ potentially what the future holds for them. ., ,, i. potentially what the future holds for them. ., ~' ,, potentially what the future holds for them. ., ,, i. . potentially what the future holds forthem. ., ,, . ., for them. thank you so much for your time and sharing _ for them. thank you so much for your time and sharing your _ for them. thank you so much for your time and sharing your experiences. i time and sharing your experiences. thank you. 35—year—old claudia lawrence disappeared in 2009, prompting the biggest missing person inquiry in the history of north yorkshire police. today marks 15 years since claudia failed to turn up for work as a chef at york university. police have made a plea for those with information to break their silence.

graham satchell has this report. what happened to claudia lawrence? her disappearance 15 years ago remains a mystery. she was last seen walking home from the university of york, where she worked as a chef. that evening, she sent a text message to her mum. and then, nothing — no sightings, no calls. the search for the 35—year—old became one of the biggest ever carried out by north yorkshire police. they questioned nine people, but no charges have ever been brought. for claudia's family, not knowing what happened has been torture. it's been a sentence, a 15—year sentence. it's like somebody having an illness for 15 years, because that's what it is every year. every day's an illness with this going on. i never would imagine it would be 15 years down the line. i mean, quite honestly, it's appalling. in 2021, police searched a lake and woods six miles from claudia's home, but again found nothing.

detectives are treating her disappearance as suspected murder, and today, 15 years on, have renewed their appeal for information. they remain convinced someone knows what happened to claudia lawrence. the single barrier to unlocking the answers for claudia's loved ones, and bringing those responsible for her disappearance to justice, remains the same, in my view. and that's silence. silence from the people who know, or may suspect what happened to claudia, who have, so far, for reasons that are only known to them, been unable to come forward to the police. claudia's mum goes to church every day. she continues to pray for answers. graham satchell, bbc news. some breaking news from ofcom, five programs on gb news featuring politicians acting as news presenters broke broadcasting rules.

you may remember that two episodes of jacob you may remember that two episodes ofjacob rees—mogg you may remember that two episodes of jacob rees—mogg stayed at the nations, episodes of friday morning with esther and fell and one episode of friday morning with esther and joel percat during may and june 23, these episodes as well as others were being reviewed by ofcom to see if they were following broadcast rules. ofcom has decided the episodes in question broke broadcasting impartiality rules and let me give you more context. they have explained under the broadcasting code names in whatever form must be presented with due impartiality, additionally a politician cannot be any sweeter, in interviewer or news in whatever form must be presented with due impartiality, additionally a politician cannot be a newsreader, is interviewer orkneys reporter unless exceptionally there is editorialjustification unless exceptionally there is editorial justification which unless exceptionally there is editorialjustification which ofcom has found that was not the case in these episodes. now again, as a reminder of that news, five programmes on gb news featuring politicians like jacob rees—mogg, as

they were acting as news presenters on those programs, broke broadcasting rules according to the media regulator. if we have any reaction from jacob rees—mogg or any other person affected by that decision we will of course bring it to you as soon as we have it. great britain's most succesful female olympian, dame laura kenny, has told the bbc she's retiring, and won't compete in the paris games this summer. the 31—year—old won five olympic golds and seven world championship titles in a distinguished cycling career. but following the birth of her second child injuly, laura has made the difficult desision to take a step back from elite sport. joe lynskey has this report. london in the summer of 2012, a 20—year—old cyclist made her olympic introduction. commentary: the gold medal is going to go to laura trott, i and i can't believe it. two golds at a home games were just the start of the ride. laura trott would become britain's most successful female olympian.

in 2016, she became laura kenny, 12 years at the top brought her five olympic titles. now she says she's crossed the line for the final time. so, i have decided that i'm going to retire from professional cycling. i know — big, eh? i always knew deep down that i would know when was the right time. and you're never going to have a perfect time to do it. but i can sit here today and say now is the right time for me. at the last olympics, kenny found a way to do it all. she'd given birth to albie in 2017, and yet came back to ride in tokyo and won gold in the madison. since then, she's faced personal trauma, speaking openly about miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy. last year, the kennys had their second son, monty, and the balance laura struck between elite sport and motherhood has changed. just the sacrifices of leaving your children and your family at home is really quite big. and the more people asked me

what races was i doing, what training camps was i going on, i didn't want to go, ultimately. and i think that's what it came down to. and then once i said to jase, you know, "i don't think i want to ride a bike any more", i started to feel relief, then, to be totally honest. kenny's retirement is immediate. she won't compete this year in paris. instead, she'll watch and reflect on a track career that gripped a nation, a record haul of medals, and that london summer. commentary: and look at the face here, on young laura trott. - joe lynskey, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to former british cyclist dani rowe, who won an olympic gold medal alongside laura kenny in 2012. she gave us her reaction. not surprised, actually. obviously, i was one of the people that laura had spoken to about the possibility of retiring. we have grown up together, we were in the british cycling system for so many years, as team—mates but also as very good friends as well. so we have discussed it together.

so i am not overly surprised, but i am just so proud of her and i messaged her this morning just to say, you know, i kind of knew this was coming. however, i still feel so emotional about it because, not only was she a remarkable cyclist but also a remarkable person, a remarkable friend who made myjourney on the bike so much better as well and obviously provided so much entertainment for all of us. dani, when you were speaking to her, did you get that sense that her heart was really at home now and with her family? yeah, definitely. i have recently been to visit laura with my family as well and it is so nice to see how she is slotting into that home life with her boys, with herfamily and i think it is just perfect timing. the street artist banksy is suspected to be behind an artwork which has appeared on the side ofa building near finsbury park in london. a mass of green has been painted behind a cut—back mature

tree to look like leaves, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose next to it. our reporter rachel mcadam has more this is the mural that has appeared in north london which we think is a banksy. it has not come up on his website or social media so we cannot be sure but today the bbc has heard from james peake who created radio 4 series the banksy story and he says there's a number of clues that make him think this is legitimate in the first one is their second message. he says the message is that nature are struggling and we need to help. it is spring, there is no links on the street and that is what the artist has chosen to paint on the wall. the second thing is the colour of the same as the local council street signs and he says that is the level of detail that banksy is known for. as usual, the potential of a

banksy has generated a lot of excitement and speculation both in the local area and on social media and one local resident posted this photo saying she woke up to this on the side of her flat and you can actually see them smiling away in the background on the balcony. now nothing has appeared on the social media banksyjust yet but people will be watching his website and his instagram to see if he confirms. before we go let's remind you of that breaking news, ofcom the broadcasting regulator has won five programmes gb news featuring tory politicians acting as news presenters broke broadcasting impartiality rules. ofcom rules say a politician cannot be a newsreader or interviewer or reporter unless there is editorialjustification and after an investigation, they found that two episodes of jacob rees—mogg state of the nation, two episodes of

friday morning with esther and phil, and one episode of saturday morning with esther and philfailed to comply with the broadcasting code. we will have more on that story as we have reaction on it before now, time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. we have a winner from we have a winnerfrom pushing we have a winner from pushing from west to east. for most, it will be dry, sunny, sunshine turning hissy in the west later, as rain arrives in the west later, as rain arrives in northern ireland with strengthening winds. but still, temperatures 8—16 , north to south. as we head through the evening and overnight, the were front brings rain from the west towards the east,

fragmenting and turning showery in nature and it will be cloudy, blustery, and it is going to be another mild night, temperatures 6-10 . we another mild night, temperatures 6—10 . we start tomorrow on that cloudy note with some showers. a lot of these pushing towards the east, we may end up with a band of cloud lingering in the far south—east but a lot of dry weather following behind with sunshine. temperatures similar in the south—east today, 15 or16 similar in the south—east today, 15 or 16 and still quite mild for the time of year, 9—12— 1a quite widely. heading into wednesday, this is the front lingering in the south—east but it has another attachment which is pushing north and east during wednesday. it is a wave in front so this could change but what it looks like at the moment is we will have cloud and rain across central and eastern areas, pushing away as we go through the day. behind it, we find

brighter skies and sunshine but we could hang on to more cloud with outbreaks of rain in the far south—east. temperatures fresher in the north, mild as we push further south. heading through thursday and into the weekend, the isobars over the next few days are squeezed so it will be windy and we also have weather fronts drifting through so weather fronts drifting through so we will see some rain and the wind changes through the weekend to more of a northerly direction. the outlook is windy at times, with some rain and as that northerly wind comes in, turning colder with some wintry showers over the tops of the hills.

live from london. this is bbc news. vladimir putin wins a fifth term as russian president — and says he will prioritise the war in ukraine following the election, which western governments have called a "sham". i'm anna foster, live

from eastjerusalem. and the battle over deep—sea mining — as the demand for permits increases, greenpeace says it damages pristine eco—systems. an artwork that's appeared on the side of a building in north london prompts speculation it could be by the world famous graffiti artist, banksy. we begin in russia where vladimir putin has vowed to strengthen the armed forces and prioritise what he calls, russia's special military operation in ukraine. he was speaking after a presidential election that was tightly—controlled by the kremlin. it delivered him more than 87% of the vote, and mr putin said the result had demonstrated people's trust, in russia's current path. he said when russians were united, no—one could