A few summers ago, I noticed tiny, tapioca-like clusters of bumps on my fingers. They were flesh-coloured and incredibly, hand-bitingly itchy.

This turned out to be a condition called pompholyx or dishydrotic eczema. The issue is sometimes nicknamed “summer finger bumps”, due to how much worse it tends to get in the hotter months.

In fact, warm weather and excessive sweating are listed as factors that may cause pompholyx to form or flare up.

• extreme itchiness
• the sudden appearance of tiny blisters on your hands (especially the sides of your fingers) or feet
• a prickling sensation
• dry or cracking skin after the blisters burst
• feelings of heat in your soles or hands.

Symptoms typically last two to three weeks.

It’s more common among women, people under 40, individuals with another type of eczema, those with asthma and heavy sweaters.

It’s a chronic condition, meaning that though there are ways to manage the symptoms, we don’t have an outright cure yet.

Flare-ups may be more likely during times of stress, hot weather or contact with soaps, cleansers and detergents.

Don’t try to diagnose yourself, the NHS says. If you have new skin issues you suspect are due to dishydrotic eczema, see a GP.

The same goes if you have pompholyx that’s already been diagnosed but “the blisters are very painful, leak yellow or green pus or are covered in a yellow-brown crust – these are signs of an infection”, they added.

Soaking your hands in potassium permanganate may help if they’re weeping or oozing. Using an emmolient moisturiser on the affected area is one of the main ways to manage flare-ups.

Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe a steroid cream to help you manage the itching or send you to see a specialist for UV or other treatments.

• washing your hands with warm water and using a moisturising soap,

• wearing protective gloves (ideally with a cotton lining) when using chemicals like shampoos, cleansers and detergents

• wearing socks, tights or stockings made from cotton or silk, rather than nylon, if the condition affects your feet,

• wearing shoes made from leather, rather than plastic or rubber (again if the condition affects your feet),

• avoiding anything you think causes your symptoms, such as cleansers, some metals, or detergents.

Don’t burst your blisters, as this can lead to further damage and leave your skin open to infection.

Nigel Farage has claimed he is being “treated like a war criminal” by his critics.

The Reform UK made the astonishing remark while being interviewed by the party’s in-house podcast.

He was speaking after he shocked Westminster last week by quitting as MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election in the seat.

Farage claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” as he faces a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire but did not declare.

He could also face separate probes over support he received from convicted fraudster George Cottrell and lobbying he has done on cryptocurrency.

On the podcast, he said calling the by-election was “the right thing to do”.

“I think effectively I’m being treated like a war criminal,” he said.

“It’s quite astonishing, and it’s like our mainstream media think we have to defer to them at all times, and I just don’t buy that.

“You look at today’s press and they say he doesn’t want scrutiny. I don’t mind scrutiny, but I do mind illegally obtained information, I do mind computer hacking. I genuinely mind those things, and the intimidation of my family.

“I just thought it had all reached such a frenzy that I had to do something.”

The decision to trigger the by-election has backfired, though, after Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems, Greens and Restore Britain all said they would not stand candidates in the contest.

Instead, Farage faces a head-to-head battle with Count Binface.

The Reform leader said: “I’ve done something positive. They wanted a by-election here. Well now they’ve got one and they don’t want to stand.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Tom Cruise has undergone a dramatic make-under for his role in the new dystopian comedy Digger.

In the Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s much-hyped new film, the Top Gun star leads an all-star cast that includes Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons and Sandra Hüller, playing the titular Digger Rockwell, a billionaire tasked with saving the world from an environmental disaster that he’s seemingly responsible for causing in the first place.

Already one of 2026’s most anticipated new cinema releases, the first Digger trailer dropped at the end of June, although many were intrigued to discover that it was made up almost entirely of footage of clips from Tom’s old films, including Risky Business, Cocktail, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut and Tropic Thunder.

However, the first full-length trailer for the new film was released on Monday afternoon, depicting the Oscar-nominated Hollywood icon as you’ve never seen him before.

The footage also offers viewers a first glimpse at some of his A-list co-stars’ own transformations for the film for the first time.

Check out the new Digger trailer for yourself below:

Digger will also feature appearances from Call Me By Your Name’s Michael Stuhlbarg, Talk To Me’s Sophie Wilde and House Of The Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy, as well as Emmy winner John Goodman, who will play a fictitious president of the United States.

Its director Alejandro González Iñárritu, is a five-time Oscar recipient who has previously helmed the likes of Birdman and The Revenant.

While critics are yet to see Digger in full, footage from it premiered at CinemaCon in April, and was immediately praised by critics and journalists in attendance.

Billed in the new trailer as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions”, more specific details about the movie are being kept under wraps for the time being.

Digger will hit cinemas on Friday 2 October.

For years, institutions like the World Health Organisation and the NHS have recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of higher-intensity activity, a week.

This has been linked to slower brain ageing, a reduced risk of some cancers, and better overall physical and mental health.

But while the UK government’s recent update on its chief medical officers’ physical health guidelines recommends “that all individuals work towards achieving these guidelines,” it adds, “they are not absolute thresholds”.

Some research suggests that over a third of UK adults fail to reach those recommendations.

The updated guidance doesn’t mean 150 minutes of exercise is an incorrect or ineffective benchmark. Instead, it reflects the usefulness of small increases in activity among those who find the existing suggestions intimidating.

“We recognise the benefits that can be achieved at levels both above and below 150 minutes per week,” the update reads.

The foreword to the new guidance said that if exercise were a drug, we’d see it as a “miracle cure” due to how effective it can be at treating, delaying, or even preventing diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes, breast cancer, bowel cancer, arthritis and depression.

Proof of exercise’s benefits has only gotten stronger since the first chief medical officers’ guidelines on physical activity, they added.

For instance, we know that “the health benefits of physical activity are significant when we go from no activity to even some activity,” the guidance reads.

Indeed, recent research shows that two minutes more exercise a day can contribute to a longer life, especially if you weren’t doing much beforehand.

Another study found that four 15-minute walks spread across the week could boost longevity among older people.

A quarter of an hour of vigorous physical activity a week has been associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and early death, too – even if it’s broken up into two-minute segments.

“There is clear evidence that even small increments such as taking the stairs rather than the lift, or walking to the shops, can make a surprisingly large difference to our long-term health and wellbeing if they become part of normal life,” the updated guidance said.

These health benefits do build the closer we get to the 150-minute mark (they tend to taper off after that point).

But it’s important not to be “put off if you think you cannot make 150 minutes – make a start and see how you go. Every extra bit will benefit you”.

It says adults should still try to complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity a week, though again, some activity is far better than nothing.

We might benefit from “even shorter durations of very vigorous intensity activity” than 75 minutes a week, meanwhile. A combination of intense, moderate, and very intense exercise is a great aim too.

The guidelines also encourage at least two strength-training sessions a week for adults, “but any strengthening activity is better than none”, and suggest incorporating balance training into your routine.

Don’t stay sedentary for extended periods of time, and “break up long periods of inactivity with at least light physical activity,” too.

The revised guidance for older adults (65+), meanwhile, “give[s] greater emphasis to regular light activity” and has removed the previous suggestion to ensure these sessions lasted at least 10 minutes.

Downing Street has rejected Zia Yusuf’s claim that the government does not “care at all about the security of Reform MPs”.

The right-wing party’s home affairs spokesman also pointed the finger at parliament and the police following the death of Ann Widdecombe.

Commons officials have already hit back at Yusuf’s comments, which he made in a post on X on Sunday.

He said: “The state is providing no protection whatsoever. In fact, based on what I have seen in the last 48 hours, none of the government, the Speaker nor the police care at all about the security of Reform MPs.

“Several of our MPs have written to the above in recent months about distressing, escalating security concerns, asking for help. Their correspondence was not even replied to. I will let you draw your own conclusions from this.”

Asked about Yusuf’s claims, Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “It’s absolutely paramount that MPs can go out there in the wider world safely and freely.

“There is a rigorous and proportionate security system in place to ensure the safety of MPs and ministers.

“As you’d expect, we keep this under constant review to ensure it is able to adapt and evolve to ever-changing threats, and the Parliamentary Security Department, police and Home Office teams work in close co-ordination to assess risk and provide comprehensive protective security measures.”

A House of Commons spokesperson hit back at Yusuf by insisting “all MPs are offered appropriate security measures”.

“Any assessment of an individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice is subject to a rigorous risk-based assessment, conducted by security professionals and with input from the police and a range of professional authorities,” they said. “These are naturally kept under continuous review.

“All MPs are offered appropriate security measures but we do not comment on specific cases or details of those measures so as not to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Sir David Beckham has responded to one comedian’s send-up of his wife Victoria’s less-than-animated reactions to watching the England football team playing over the weekend.

On Saturday night, Sir David and Victoria were joined by their youngest three children, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Beckham to see England’s latest World Cup game, where the squad triumphed over Norway.

While the rest of the Beckhams couldn’t hide their joy at England’s success, it’s fair to say that, true to form, the former Spice Girls star’s reactions were a touch more muted.

“I wanted to take a moment to single out England’s number one fan Victoria, Lady Beckham!!!!” the comedian Jenny Johnson wrote on Instagram the following day.

“There’s nothing like cheering your heart out for England from home, then they cut to Victoria and we see that classic Posh Spice smile! It’s so infectious!”

Jenny quipped: “I used to think I got animated while watching sports, but Victoria blows my enthusiasm out of the water! Each time I see her I shout, ‘SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!!!’ because her energy is electric!!!”

“See for yourself!” she added, alongside a series of stoic-looking pictures of Victoria.

Within just a couple of hours, Sir David had popped up in the comments, joking: “She was celebrating inside I promise. Her reactions were slightly slower than mine.”

Back in 2019, Victoria claimed that “not smiling publicly” was a type of “armour” that she hid behind, an idea she elaborated on in her self-titled Netflix documentary last year.

“I’ve looked miserable for all these years because when we stand on the red carpet, this guy has always gone on the left,” she told viewers, referring to her famous husband.

“Now I didn’t realise that when I smile – which I do! – I smile from the left, because if I smile from the right, I look unwell. So, consequently I’m smiling on the inside – but no one ever sees it. So, that’s why I look so moody.”