Government accused of caving in to building lobby amid plans to shake up housing sector in England

The government has been accused of bowing to lobbying by housebuilders, in proposals that would prevent English local authorities from pursuing improvements to low-carbon homes standards.Under a consultation on planning rules, councils would be issued with guidance that would effectively limit their scope to demand builders construct new homes within their areas to the highest possible standards.These changes to the National Planning Policy Framework would benefit housebuilders, which could be assured of the same standards across England, but would bind the hands of councils, some of which have declared a “climate emergency”.Ministers have yet to publish separate much-delayed rules for the future homes standard (FHS), which requires new homes to be built with low-carbon equipment such as heat pumps, high-grade insulation and solar panels. But there are fears that the FHS will not go far enough

Tell us your experience living with Tourette syndrome

Controversy erupted at the Baftas award ceremony after the BBC initially failed to edit out the N-word spoken involuntarily by John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome (TS).In a statement Davidson said he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”. He added: “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”We would like to hear from people who are affected by Tourette syndrome (TS), and in particular those who have vocal tics involving swearing (coprolalia)

Baby boy born to UK mother after womb transplant from dead donor

A baby boy named Hugo is the first child to be born in the UK to a mother with a womb transplant from a dead donor.Hugo Powell was delivered at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea hospital in London weighing 3.09kg (6lb 13oz), after his mother, Grace Bell, received a transplanted womb from someone who had died.It is the first birth in the UK using a womb from a deceased donor, with only two previous cases reported in Europe.Bell, an IT programme manager, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition resulting in an underdeveloped or missing womb

My maddening battle with chronic fatigue syndrome: ‘On my worst days, it feels almost demonic’

At the Croydon secondary school I attended in the late 1990s, the deputy headmistress was a stocky woman with a military haircut who patrolled the corridors in voluminous outfits patterned in shades of brown. The outfits were much discussed, not charitably, by the teenage girls in her charge – as was her voice, which made you think of a blunt knife being drawn across a rough surface. Thirty years later, I can still hear that terrible voice refer to my “mystery illness”. In truth, the deputy headmistress never actually spoke those words – they were included in a typed letter she sent to my parents concerning my prolonged absence from school. Still, the indicting force of five syllables is as distinct in my ear as if she were looming over me

Unlicensed gambling firms could be barred from sponsoring Premier League clubs

Unlicensed gambling firms could be barred from sponsoring Premier League football clubs, after a string of controversies involving pornographic videos, failures in anti-money laundering rules and concerns about links to organised crime.Shirts worn by players for several major English football teams, including Everton, Fulham and Burnley, feature the logos of unlicensed online casinos or bookmakers.Premier League clubs have pledged to end all front-of-shirt gambling deals from the end of this season, including those with large operators with a licence.But the voluntary measure will not apply to shirt sleeves or other commercial tie-ups. This leaves the door open to gambling firms who do not hold a British licence to continue hitching themselves to the popularity of the Premier League, as long as they promise not to offer their services to UK consumers

What is Tourette syndrome, what are tics and what happened at the Baftas?

Controversy has erupted over the Baftas after the BBC initially failed to edit out a racial slur shouted by John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome (TS). Here we explore what vocal tics are, and how they should be understood.One of the films up for awards was I Swear – a movie inspired by the real-life story of the TS campaigner Davidson, who was present at the event on Sunday.Davidson shouted several times during the ceremony. In one case, he used the N-word while the actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting a prize on stage