What a difference a year makes.

Labour members will start gathering in Liverpool this weekend for their annual conference with a noticeable spring in their step.

The party now has a confirmed, if slight, lead in the opinion polls as Andy Burnham continues to enjoy a honeymoon period after replacing Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister in July.

His optimistic talk of putting “hope in every heart” appears to have resonated with a beleaguered electorate weighed down by more than a decade of austerity, stagnant economic growth, rising prices and political turmoil.

The so-called “Burnham Bounce” has also coincided with a downturn in the fortunes of Reform UK, whose own poll numbers have fallen since May, when the party enjoyed election success in England, Scotland and Wales.

Investigations into the financial affairs of Nigel Farage and his party have cut through with a public who, just a few months ago, seemed to be preparing to elect a Reform government.

It is all a far cry from 12 months ago, when the Labour conference was a downbeat affair as Starmer’s government lurched from scandal to disaster.

Deputy PM Angela Rayner had been forced to quit just weeks before over her tax affairs, forcing Starmer into a clumsily-handled and deeply unpopular reshuffle.

That was swiftly followed by the sacking of Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington over his friendship with the convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

Ironically, the high point of last year’s conference for Starmer was his success in seeing off Burnham’s own failed attempt to seize the initiative.

The then mayor of Greater Manchester was relentlessly attacked by Starmer loyalists for saying in a pre-conference interview that the UK must “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets”.

Although a chastened Burnham ended up leaving the conference early, just six months later he became MP for Makerfield and the PM-in-waiting.

Now, much of the talk going into this year’s event is not whether Burnham will become prime minister, but whether he would attempt to secure his own five-year mandate from the public by calling an early general election.

The PM sought to kill off the speculation by telling ITV Calendar on Friday that the next election will not be until 2029, the latest it can possibly be.

Nevertheless, that is unlikely to stop some from urging Burnham to go the country either next year or in 2028, should Labour’s poll lead grow.

According to the Telegraph, several of the PM’s No.10 advisers believe he should go to the country in the spring, but that was disputed by others in his inner circle.

“Utter bollocks,” said one senior Downing Street source when asked by HuffPost UK if an early election is on the cards.

“The PM is a man focused and determined to change the country. The only people raising the prospect of an early election are those conducting as a subtle-as-an-elephant Tory whispering campaign.”

Another No.10 source said reports of an early election were “worse than bollocks, it’s embarrassing clickbait”.

Those pushing an early election point to two mega-polls published in recent days which show Labour emerging from an early election as easily the largest party, ahead of the Tories and Reform.

However, in both scenarios, the party would lose its majority, leaving Burnham reliant on the support of the Lib Dems and other left-of-centre parties to get his programme through parliament.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at pollsters Savanta, told HuffPost UK: “Labour going for an early election based on these latest polls means two things: Labour loses hundreds of seats compared to 2024, and it’s an admission from Andy Burnham that he doesn’t think he can further improve Labour’s fortunes.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Labour MPs – many of whom have only been in the Commons for a little over two years – are less-than enthusiastic about the prospect of an snap election that would see at least 100 of them lose their seats.

One Cabinet minister said: “If I was Andy, I would be very reluctant to call an election because right now he’s got 400 Labour MPs.

“No matter that happens, if you wake up every morning and you’ve got 400 MPs and a big guaranteed majority, you’re in a good place.

“If you look at the sweep of Labour history being in this position doesn’t happen very often, so I’d be very careful about gambling with that.”

A Labour backbencher was equally clear in his opposition to an election now.

“I don’t want to hear him announce a general election,” the MP said. “I don’t think the country’s ready for it and voters certainly wouldn’t thank us for it.”

Another minister said: “The polls are simply too volatile right now to justify an early election.”

A Labour source added: “I can see why an early election would be tempting when you’re caught up in party conference.

“But the public don’t want one, and voters wouldn’t thank Andy for calling one.”

Burnham is still writing his conference speech, which he will deliver to the party faithful on Tuesday afternoon.

He has been writing it himself “in snatched moments on trains, planes and in his car,” according to one No.10 aide.

The conference slogan is ‘Hope Again’, and the PM plans to deliver a message of optimism to the country, explaining how he plans to get a solve long-standing problems like youth unemployment and the housing crisis.

“People know what the problems are facing the country, but they want to know what the government is going to do about it,” said one Downing Street insider.

“They want to be given hope about the way forward and this is the PM’s opportunity to set that out.”

But a senior Labour figure warned that the real challenges for Burnham will come when the political caravan has packed up for conference season and gone back to Westminster.

“There’s no doubt Andy will have a great conference,” he said. “It’s in Liverpool, it’s his first one as leader and he’ll make a good speech.

“But the real business will happen when he gets back to Westminster the week after. That’s when things will get real for him.

“There’s the Budget next month, defence spending, the growing threat from Russia, and his 10-year plan.

“His diagnosis of the country’s problems has been good, but voters will judge him on how he plans to fix them.

“The danger of conference is that the party gets too high on its own supply. They shouldn’t mistake the conference hall for the country, because there’s a world of a difference between the two.”

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.

Lower back pain affects about 80% of us at one point or another, according to the NHS.

Thankfully, fewer than 1% of those cases require urgent medical attention. But the pain can still affect your quality of life, and might mean you’re less tempted to exercise.

That can be a shame, as the NHS explained, “keeping as active as possible can help you to recover and do the things that are important to you”.

Avoiding movement for more than a day or two in mild back pain cases might actually worsen your condition, the health service added.

According to a 2019 analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, four activities in particular seemed the most effective at treating “non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP)”.

NSCLBP means doctors can’t find one specific cause for back pain. This applies to the “vast majority of chronic low back pain cases,” the study’s lead author, associate professor Daniel Belavy, said.

This paper analysed 89 studies involving back pain and exercise.

Researchers found that staying active seemed to be more effective than rest for NSCLBP.

Belavy said: “There is a common misconception that if someone is in pain, they should be resting, but our research shows that when the pain has been there for a long time, exercise is an important part of treatment.”

They found four training styles were the “most effective” at treating NSCLBP. These were:

This seemed to be the joint “best” exercise for dealing with the condition.

Speaking to Healthline, Dr Courtney Gilbert, a physical medicine and rehabilitation expert, said: “Pilates teaches you how to articulate your spine and engage your deep core. Research has shown that Pilates can decrease low back pain compared to no exercise and non-specific exercise.”

This can include exercising with a pilates machine (Joseph Pilates, who invented the exercise, called this a Universal Reformer machine: now they’re used in Reformer classes), or doing pilates on a mat.

“There was evidence that Pilates and stabilisation or motor control exercise training were the best of these exercises for reducing pain,” Belavy said.

Stabilisation exercises can include strengthening your core and might involve crunches, bridges, and planks.

Motor control exercise training, meanwhile, typically aims to retrain the muscles near your spine to become more co-ordinated and stronger.

This can include balance training and other moves like hip bridges, sitting knee extensions, and even squats.

You might know this as strength training. It means using weights and resistance training at increasingly high loads to build your muscles up.

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how “tight” hips that you might think need stretching can actually be weak hips that would benefit from strengthening. A similar principle can apply here.

Some strengthening exercises include weighted squats, push-ups, deadlifts, bench presses, and more.

Basically, activities like walking and running.

You might want to build up your pace and distance if you haven’t exercised in a while – “our study provides evidence that active therapies where the patient is guided, actively encouraged to move and exercise in a progressive fashion are the most effective,” Belavy shared.

Interestingly, this paper found that “stretching and McKenzie exercises, which is a treatment approach that uses a classification system to prescribe exercise”, were found to be the “least effective” kinds of exercises.

The NHS advises you should always stop exercising if it makes your back pain worse. Speak to your GP if you’re worried about your back pain and/or aren’t sure about beginning new activity.

I don’t know whether I notice it more in the sunshine or if flies really do come out en masse in spring, but I feel like I’ve noticed a lot more of the unwelcome visitors on my houseplants recently.

And while I’ve found vinegar and washing-up liquid traps are a really effective way to manage a fruit fly bonanza, I can’t help but wish there was an easier, less deadly way to de-fly my ferns.

Luckily, plant educator Peyton, known online as Plant Caregiver, is one of a few voices to suggest a chemical-free method: in a TikTok video, the creator said, “a lot of your plant problems could be fixed by having a fan”.

Speaking to Homes & Gardens, Julia Omelchenko, an expert in plants for the Plantum app, explained that proper ventilation and air flow keep soil drier, preventing a buildup of, e.g., fungus gnats.

That can involve opening a window. But it can also include running a “fan on low speeds where your plants are situated,” so long as you “avoid cold drafts and don’t point the fan at the plants,” she added.

Aside from preventing wet soil, which fungus gnats love, using a fan also helps to create an environment in which fruit flies struggle to fly (they have quite weak wings).

An Ideal Homes writer put it to the test and was impressed with the result. And, more recently, a Guardian writer and houseplant expert tried it on a mildewy plant; she wrote, “It’s one of those hacks that sounds unnecessary until you try it”.

As we’ve mentioned before, soil that stays wet for too long can attract fungus gnats. Try watering your soil less often if that’s the case.

Adding a gravel mulch, using sticky traps, and even using predatory nematodes can all help, too, per BBC Gardener’s World.

You can also change the potting soil to that which has been specially formulated for houseplants.

Look, when it comes to high-end skincare that actually gets the job done, I’m always going to point you in the direction of Augustinus Bader.

I’ve written before about the brand whose products Dua Lipa famously reported that she ‘can’t live without’, so much so that their Eye Patches and The Rich Cream have a permanent place in her (and now my) handbag.

Their cult-favourite moisturiser cleared my period-spot riddled skin up in just seven days when I first tested it, so when Augustinus Bader announced that they were bringing its cell-renewing TFC8 tech to a brand-new, delicately scented Rose Geranium body range I couldn’t have said yes to testing it out faster if I could.

Before you say ‘what the heck is TFC8’, it’s the brand’s secret sauce: a proprietary blend of natural amino acids, high-grade vitamins and peptides that supports the body’s capacity to renew.

According to AB, the body cream is clinically proven to deliver firmer, smoother, deeply hydrated skin. In fact, a 12 week study carried out by the brand reports a 75% reduction in cellulite (with 92% of users saying they saw a visible reduction).

As someone who (thanks to a whole lot of weight lifting, spin classes, swimming and a passion for dinners out) has a battle with cellulite and stretch marks across my thicc thighs, I was hoping for big results.

I’ve also never been a body moisturiser girlie and now in my mid 30s, I’m definitely paying the price – as a recent convert to regular waxes my legs now permanently feel like they need a good long glass of water. Luckily for me, the body cream’s blend of shea butter and geranium and rose essential oils promise to “deeply hydrate and lock in moisture for plump skin with greater bounce back.”

Now just to see if it works…

As with any product testing here at HuffPost UK, we don’t do it half-arsed. Armed with a fresh wax, a slight tinge of sunburn and dryness from regular dunks in chlorinated water, my skin was not about to give the Augustinus Bader The Geranium Rose Body Cream an easy ride.

For thirty days solid I committed to applying the cream to my body twice a day every day – once after my morning shower, and once before bed.

The new scent is incredibly spa-esque and made for a strong and invigorating way to kick off the day. Despite how thick the cream comes out the tub, it soaked in quickly without leaving a greasy film (because god knows there’s nothing worse than post moisturiser clothes cling).

Thirty days on, my skin feels soft yet lifted, smooth yet firm – and if you’d told me a month ago that I wouldn’t think twice about going out without my beloved tights on, I’d never have believed you.

Alongside the longer term effects, the cream offers an almost blurring effect in the same way facial primer does – marks, bumps and rashy bits all immediately looked significantly less noticeable after my morning application.

Over time, my thighs’ dimpling has lessened dramatically and although it’s not gone completely (hey, no product can erase them altogether), I’ve found myself not giving it a second thought (a rarity!).

As with any Augustinus Bader product, this body cream doesn’t come cheap (£160 for 200ml) however, I will always bang the drum that anything the brand makes is worth the investment. More so because a little goes a long way, even with using the cream twice a day (probably worth noting at this juncture that I’m also almost 6ft, so there is PLENTY of leg to moisturise), I’ve still got plenty left in the jar after a month of near religious use.

Sorry tights, I may never need to pull you out my drawers again.

Andy Burnham has insisted the next general election will not take place until 2029.

The prime minister moved to kill off mounting speculation that he was preparing to call a snap poll next spring.

Under parliamentary rules, the next election must take place in 2029 at the latest.

In an interview with ITV Calendar, Burnham was asked if that was when it would happen.

He said: “Well, yes, that’s that’s when the next election will be. All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.

“You know people want me, new in office, to be getting on with the job of delivering on the things that we’ve discussed in this interview rather than putting self-serving politics before that, which was what I would be doing if I call an election. I’m not going to do that.”

In a separate interview with BBC East Midlands, the PM also ruled out the chances of a general election taking place at the same time as local elections scheduled for next May.

Labour has enjoyed a boost in support since Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, fuelling rumours that he is tempted to call an election to secure his own five-year mandate.

Two mega-polls published this week showed Labour winning most seats at an election held now, but they would also lose more than 100 MPs and their Commons majority.

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.

You already know your chronological age (the amount of years you’ve been alive). But working out your biological age – the “wear and tear happening inside the body at a cellular and molecular level” – isn’t as simple as counting candles on a cake.

However, there are clues.

Scientists think that how long we can stand on one leg may reveal how well our brains are doing, for instance.

And now, researchers have suggested that a scan of the retina, or the light-sensitive tissue at the back of our eyes, could give us a good guess at people’s biological ageing, too.

The retina is closely linked to brain and heart health. Patients’ cardiovascular status might be more visible from the tissue’s network of veins, while their brain ageing may affect areas like the optic nerve and neurosensory retinal layers (cells that convert light into electrical impulses for the mind).

As a result, scientists have been using the area to gauge people’s health status for years now. And the difference between a person’s biological retinal age and their chronological age, known as the retinal age gap, has become a marker of call ageing and even mortality risk.

We, therefore, already have a lot of retinal images that can be used to work out how old someone’s eye seems to be. But, in this study, researchers ran those pictures, along with other data from previous papers, through more advanced technology.

They also added new research and relied on more healthy pictures of retinas, which not all previous studies had done.

All in, they uploaded 29,530 retinal scans from 7,535 participants. These were then used to work out the biological ages of 7,416 new participants, who provided 14,832 images.

Using these tools, the new system was able to predict how old people were in years (chronological age) with an average error of 2.5-2.7 years, which is good in comparison to other retinal scans.

As for their biological (tissue and organ) age, the people with retinas that this system deemed as older on a cellular level were more likely to smoke, have diabetes, or face macular degeneration.

Meanwhile, a separate team has used artificial intelligence to help work out people’s biological age – also from a retinal scan.

The study’s first author, Olga Trofimova, said: “A higher retinal age is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, dementia and death over the following 15 years.

“It is also associated with markers of metabolism, inflammation, cognitive abilities and lifestyle.”

Interestingly, the research she was involved with found that women’s retinas tended to be biologically younger than men’s of the same age.

But after menopause, “the pattern is reversed, with a higher retinal age and a less favorable health profile”.

Blood pressure also tends to follow this trend.

We’ll need more research to find out how accurate these scans are and how useful they might be for healthcare.

Still, researchers think studies like these prove “the potential of retinal imaging as an accessible tool for capturing systemic ageing signals”.

Ed Sheeran has made the “difficult decision” to cancel two shows that had been scheduled for this weekend.

Last week, the Lego House performer claimed that the owners of several venues on the remaining dates of his tour had warned him they’d “pull the shows if [Macklemore] was still supporting”, naming billionaire entrepreneur Robert Kraft as one of them.

“I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final,” Ed wrote on Instagram, insisting: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”

On Friday and Saturday, Ed had been booked to perform shows at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

However, on Friday afternoon, it was confirmed that these shows were unable to go ahead due to extreme weather.

A spokesperson for Robert Kraft, the owner of the venue in question, told TMZ: “Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week.

“Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium.”

The rep added: “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority.”

In light of Macklemore being removed as Ed’s opener, the tour’s remaining support acts pulled out, as did his backing band.

The singer-songwriter performed his first show since the controversy emerged over the weekend, taking the opportunity to address the conversation at numerous points during the show.

Meanwhile, Macklemore has since announced a limited run of shows, proceeds from which will go towards “organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement”.