Japan is holding a snap election on Sunday, in the first electoral test for the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, since she became leader.

Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is projected to win a decisive mandate, thanks to the “sanamania” among younger voters who idolise the 64-year-old leader, her favourite pink pen and her rice cracker snacks.

A recent poll suggests about 90% of voters under 30 support Ms Takaichi, while her overall popularity stands at around 60%. Her personal approval ratings are almost double that of her party, according to a new poll by public broadcaster NHK.

Known for being ultra-conservative on social issues such as gender and sexual diversity, Ms Takaichi hopes to win back voters who flocked to emerging populist parties in recent elections.

So who is the PM, why is she so popular, and what has she done to enflame tensions with China?

Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’

A protege of late prime minister Shinzo Abe, Ms Takaichi was elected by the LDP as their new leader in October, making her country’s first female prime minister, leading a governing coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (JIP).

The presidential election came after her LDP predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, was forced to step down due to significant losses in the 2024 lower house and 2025 upper house elections. Analysts said the LDP’s failed economic policies and political corruption were behind the loss in voter support.

This was her third bid for leadership of the LDP, after attempts in 2024 and 2021.

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During her most recent campaign, Ms Takaichi, whose mother was a police officer and father worked at a car company, said she wanted to become the “Iron Lady” – a homage to Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a Grantham grocer who became Britain’s first female prime minister.

Ms Takaichi was first elected to parliament as an independent in 1993 to represent the constituency that includes her hometown of Nara, before briefly joining the liberal New Frontier Party in 1994 and then moving to the LDP, when it won the general election in 1996.

She has taken on several roles within her party and in government over the last three decades, including minister of economic security, internal affairs, and gender equality.

What are her politics?

Ms Takaichi has called for a stronger military, more fiscal spending for growth, promotion of nuclear fusion, cybersecurity and tougher policies on immigration.

She supports the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and a law allowing wives to have separate surnames from their husbands.

The new prime minister has stuck with old-fashioned views favoured by male LDP heavyweights, backing financial support for women’s health and fertility treatments as part of her party’s policy of having women serve in traditional roles of being good mothers and wives.

But she also recently talked about her struggles with menopausal symptoms and stressed the need to educate men about female health to help women at school and work.

Ms Takaichi is a wartime history revisionist and China hawk who recently enflamed tensions with Beijing over her remarks on Taiwan.

In November, she appeared to suggest that Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing considers part of its territory, as this would qualify as “an existential threat”. In retaliation, China increased economic and diplomatic retribution.

Endorsed by Trump and friends with Meloni

US President Donald Trump who is trying to maintain a fragile trade truce with China, asked Ms Takaichi not to further aggravate Beijing in a private phone call in November, sources told Reuters.

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Trump hails ‘golden age’ of Japan relations

But he had already endorsed her leadership during his visit to Japan in October. He said he was looking forward to hosting her at the White House in March after lauding Ms Takaichi for breaking Japan’s glass ceiling.

She appears to have found a political best friend in fellow right-wing populist Giorgia Meloni after singing happy birthday to the Italian prime minister and presenting her with cake and gifts during a meeting in Tokyo last month.

The women snapped a selfie together – with Ms Meloni later posting an anime version next to the caption: “Two distant nations, but ever closer. Friendship and harmony.”

The pair shared a long hug as they said goodbye, with the Italian prime minister telling her Japanese counterpart: “Count always on me, okay? For whatever you need. I know it’s not easy but we’ll do it together.”

Why is she so popular with young voters?

A drummer in a heavy-metal band and a motorbike rider as a student, Ms Takaichi has built a large social media following that tops any of her rivals, with 2.6 million followers on X compared to about 64,000 for Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of Japan’s main opposition party.

Many of her posts have gone viral, including clips of her drumming to the hit song Golden from Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters film alongside South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, or her serenading Ms Meloni.

Her upbeat image has earned her strong approval ratings.

“She has a clear, decisive way of speaking,” Takeo Fujimura, a 24-year-old clerical worker, said. “She communicates in a bright, positive way and I think that energy resonates with young people.”

Her personal style has also been praised by fans, who rushed to snap up the £660 black leather bag Ms Takaichi regularly carries, causing a nine-month backlog at the brand Hamano.

There is a similar hype around the pink ballpoint pen she uses for note taking in parliament and the shrimp rice crackers she has been spotted holding while travelling by train.

But some analysts question whether enough young people will actually go and vote for Ms Takaichi, as younger people have historically been less likely to vote than older generations that had helped the LDP to a near-unbroken post-war rule in Japan but are not the guarantee of power they once were.

Why has she called an election?

Ms Takaichi’s call for this month’s snap election in January has been seen as an attempt to capitalise on her strong approval ratings of around 70% to help her beleaguered governing party gain more seats.

Polls show that the LDP could capture around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house – the more powerful of the parliamentary chambers.

This would be a major improvement on the current razor-thin majority the LDP and its coalition partner JIP have in the lower house after losing many seats in 2024 and being defeated in the upper house election last July.

The LDP and JIP are hoping they can secure a supermajority of more than two-thirds, which would give Ms Takashi’s coalition the ability to push through legislation even if it doesn’t secure enough votes in the upper house.

In December, Ms Takichi’s cabinet approved a record 122.3 trillion yen (£565 billion) budget that needs parliamentary approval before the upcoming fiscal year starting April to fund measures to fight inflation, support low-income households and projects to help economic growth.

Winning the election would help her pass this budget after opposition leaders criticised her for delaying it with the snap election.

Polling and media reports suggest that some voters have not been convinced by Ms Takaichi and her party, as her promised fiscal largesse has been partly credited for the yen sliding.

But opposition groups in Japan are seen as too splintered to win an election, with several polls putting Ms Takaichi’s party and coalition partner firmly in the lead.

A FORMER British Prime Minister took part in a threesome with sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, a royal historian has sensationally claimed.

Author Andrew Lownie also said there was “lots more” to come out on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the latest tranche of the Epstein files.

Lownie, author of Andrew’s unauthorised biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, made the claims on the Mail’s Deep Dive Podcast.

He had been discussing the latest batch of three million documents released by the US Department of Justice last week.

Yesterday, cops searched Lord Mandelson’s two homes as they probe intelligence leaks to his paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein.

But Mr Lownie has since incredibly claimed another political heavyweight is engulfed in the Epstein scandal.

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He alleged an ex-PM had been sexually involved with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-partner of the disgraced financier.

The author said: “I have heard lots of talk about threesomes – including a threesome between Ghislaine and a British Prime Minister.”

When asked by host Sarah Vine if it was a recent PM, he responded: “A former Prime Minister, but it’s not Winston Churchill.”

Mr Lownie did not elaborate any further on the bombshell allegations.

Separately, in the latest dump of Epstein files, further details of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with the paedophile have come to light.

Documents appeared to show him passing confidential information to Epstein while he was Business Secretary.

Other files also include photos showing Mandelson in his underpants and a t-shirt while standing alongside a bathrobed female.

And last night, plain-clothed Met officers descended on the disgraced Labour peer’s properties in Camden, North London, and Wiltshire.

Cops arrived at his four-storey home near Regent’s Park at around 3.30pm yesterday, and a large box was later taken in.

His partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva could also be seen inside speaking to an officer.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh calls to quit over his appointment of Mandelson as US ambassador.

In a grovelling apology this week, the Prime Minister promised he was not aware of the “depth and the darkness” of the pair’s relationship.

Speaking on the podcast, Mr Lownie also went on to suggest there was “much more” to come out about the disgraced former Duke of York.

Just this week, more files emerged with Andrew telling Jeffrey Epstein he wanted to be his “pet” in one creepy email.

Allegations also emerged that a stripper performed “various sex acts” on Andrew and paedo pal Epstein after they demanded a threesome.

The unnamed woman was “treated like a prostitute” after dancing for the pair at Epstein’s Palm Beach home in 2006, her lawyer claimed.

And cops confirmed they are assessing claims the disgraced financier trafficked a second woman to the UK.

It is alleged she had sex with Andrew in Royal Lodge before having a tour of Buckingham Palace.

Her bombshell claims mark the first time an Epstein accuser has alleged a sexual encounter at a royal property.

The Met said it was “aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes”.

We revealed how Andrew had been quietly booted out of Royal Lodge under the cover of darkness on Monday night.

He is staying temporarily at Sandringham’s Wood Farm cottage before moving next door to his permanent home Marsh Farm from April.

He is understood to have been kicked out earlier than planned after King Charles became increasingly concerned with the shocking ­revelations.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing relating to his relationship with Epstein.

Keir Starmer is in the middle of his worst crisis yet following further damaging revelations about Peter Mandelson’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Emails released by the US government revealed the depth of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein and confirmed that it continued after Epstein’s conviction in 2008.

Starmer insists that Mandelson lied to him and to the team responsible for vetting him as a candidate to be the UK ambassador to the United States. According to Starmer, Mandelson’s answers gave the impression that he barely knew Epstein.

When emails came to light in September showing that the relationship was deeper than claimed, the prime minister dismissed him. Starmer has, however, now admitted that he knew at the time of the vetting that Mandelson had remained in contact with Epstein after he was convicted of sex offences.

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The prime minister’s judgement over appointing Mandelson as his ambassador was being called into question even before these latest revelations. Mandelson had previously resigned twice (in 1998 and 2001) from Tony Blair’s government following scandals, and it was public knowledge that he had been friends with Epstein. All of this should have ruled him out of consideration.

Pressure has been mounting on the government to release documents detailing Mandelson’s vetting to show how much was really known about his ties to Epstein. It is these documents specifically that are at the centre of the latest speculation that Starmer cannot survive in his job.

The Conservative party tabled a humble address motion in the House of Commons on February 4 calling for all vetting documents and related correspondence to be made public. Humble address motions, if passed, compel the government to carry out the actions specified in the motion.

Starmer has a large majority and could have fought off this manoeuvre had he had the support of his own MPs. But they are furious with him. Some have briefed that this scandal is the final straw after a series of poor judgement calls from the prime minister (previously mostly in relation to policy, where U-turns have been required).

They made it clear to the whips that they would rebel if instructed to vote against the Conservative motion. As a result, the government decided to table an amendment to the motion to give itself control over which documents would be released.

Its stated aim was to prevent any material that could be prejudicial to national security or international relations from being made public. Starmer has also said that a police investigation into Mandelson also precludes publication of some documents because they may prejudice any case against him.

This amendment was tabled the night before the debate and vote but it quickly became clear that trust in the prime minister and his government had completely evaporated and that Labour MPs would not support the amendment. In response, a last-minute manuscript amendment was drafted and tabled to ensure that documents pertaining to Mandelson’s appointment would instead be given to the (cross-party) Intelligence and Security Committee for review and publication. That would prevent the government from deciding what to release.

This amendment was suggested in the chamber by Angela Rayner (the former deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader) and is a sign of how serious the situation has become for the prime minister. It signals clearly that his own MPs no longer trust him or his government to handle the release of documents appropriately.

The government has now lost control of the process, and this could lead to the publication of documents that further damage its reputation — not only regarding what the government did or did not know about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, but also potentially embarrassing correspondence about Donald Trump and members of his administration.

The wording of the government’s initial amendment attempted to block the release of documents that might affect international relations. That suggests there may be damaging revelations of the kind that forced one of Mandelson’s predecessors as US ambassador, Kim Darroch, to resign. Darroch was forced to stand down as ambassador in 2019 after leaked emails showed he’d called the first Trump administration “”clumsy and inept”.

Labour MPs have had enough

The level of frustration on the Labour backbenches is now comparable to that of Conservative MPs during the final months of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The focus of retribution is currently directed at the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who MPs blame for this error of judgement (as he was a political ally of Mandelson). They see McSweeney has having given poor advice to the prime minister and blame him for the poor operation of Downing Street over the past 18 months.

Even if the immediate pressure is on McSweeney, losing him would still be destabilising for the prime minister. A similar dynamic played out under Theresa May when her party forced her joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, from office after the 2017 election.

Either way, Starmer’s days as prime minister appear to be numbered. The real question is how long he can remain in office. Labour MPs are not naturally inclined toward regicide – indeed, the party has never removed a sitting prime minister from office before. Any challenger needs the support of 80 MPs to trigger a leadership election – one in which Starmer would be entitled to stand himself. That remains a high threshold.

And, in the first instance, none of the apparent heirs to the leadership are currently positioned to launch a credible challenge. Andy Burnham was prevented from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection, so won’t become an MP any time soon. Angela Rayner has yet to resolve the tax issues that forced her resignation from government last year. Wes Streeting is viewed as being too closely aligned politically with Mandelson to mount a challenge over this scandal.

There are, however, further moments of danger on the horizon. The loss of the Gorton and Denton byelection could weaken the prime minister further. Some in the party are still angry over Burnham being blocked, which many believe may have cost Labour a winnable seat.

Upcoming local elections in England, as well as the parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, also look set to be torrid for Labour. It is likely that Starmer will limp on into the local elections, but beyond that his future will depend on his MPs – specifically, whether they choose to fire the starting gun on a leadership challenge or whether they can talk him into announcing his resignation as leader of the party, thereby triggering a leadership election.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto front cover simply read “Change”, but in recent weeks politics has felt uncomfortably reminiscent of 2022. That is Labour’s problem.

A woman accidentally swallowed a 17cm-long spoon when her dog jumped on her lap while she was eating yoghurt.

Reymy Amelinckx said she had to decide between ‘choking or swallowing the spoon’ but felt the implement ‘sliding down into my stomach smoothly’.

The 28-year-old said she was sitting on the couch with the yoghurt when her energetic Hungarian Vizsla named Marley suddenly jumped on her.

Reymy, from Rumst, Belgium, said: ‘I put the spoon in my mouth so I had my hands free to reply to a message.

‘Just then, Marley decided to jump on me. I was so startled I jerked my head back, and before I knew it, the spoon was lodged in my throat.

‘I stood up and started to panic.’

Reymy, who works as a medical representative, tried to remove the spoon with her hand.

‘But everything happened so fast, it was either swallow or choke,’ she said.

When her boyfriend came home from work, she said she felt too embarrassed to tell him so she ‘pretended nothing was wrong’.

‘I didn’t feel bad at all – so I didn’t say anything about it right away.It wasn’t until after dinner that I realised it was actually quite serious,’ she said.

Doctors told her the spoon was too large to pass naturally, so she had to return home and wait until a gastroscopy could be scheduled.

Reymy said: ‘That night was difficult, I felt the spoon moving, sometimes even between my ribs.

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‘It was truly terrifying. I felt bloated and nauseous, and I couldn’t eat without feeling strange.

‘Sleeping was difficult because every position reminded me of the spoon in my stomach.’

The utensil was removed two days later under local anaesthetic. Doctors had to rotate it in my stomach, which caused a small gastric haemorrhage.

She said: ‘It wasn’t pleasant, but I felt pure relief when it came out.’

‘I had a sore throat due to damage to my oesophagus, a few minor gastric bleeding episodes, and a sensitive stomach for a while, but no permanent damage.

‘I did, however, gain a lifelong reputation as “that girl with the spoon”.’

Despite the nasty experience, Reymy decided to keep hold of the spoon in question as a keepsake.

‘My boyfriend wants to turn it into a work of art,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t know exactly what yet, but it will definitely be a unique piece.’

Reymy shared some advice for fellow dog and yoghurt lovers – or those thinking of going hands-free with a utensil in order to text.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Officers raced to Union Street after the alarm was raised at around 9.10pm on Friday.

A man has been arrested and charged after police were called to a street near Glasgow Central station. Officers raced to Union Street after the alarm was raised at around 9.10pm on Friday.

Cops were responding to reports of a “disturbance” in the city centre. Images from the scene, which were shared with Glasgow Live, show at least ten police vehicles alongside medics.

Police have confirmed that a 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. There were no reports of any injuries.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.10pm on Friday, February 6, 2026, we were called to a disturbance on Union Street, Glasgow. Officers attended and a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection.

“There were no reports of any injury.”

Neil Young has cancelled his upcoming UK tour and other dates in Europe with rock band The Chrome Hearts.

The Canadian-American singer, 80, apologised to fans in a post on his official website on Friday night.

He said it is “not the time” to be playing live shows and said he had “decided to take a break”.

Young was due to go on tour this summer with dates scheduled for locations including Manchester, Glasgow, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, and Cork.

‘I’m sorry to let you down’

A message posted to the Neil Young Archives website read: “I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time.

“Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time.

“I do love playing live and being with you and The Chrome Hearts. Love, Neil. Be well.”

He was due to perform with his backing band, The Chrome Hearts, who he started playing with in 2024.

The tour was due to begin in June, at the Eden Project in Cornwall, finishing in Lucca, Italy, in July.

His now cancelled dates had also included Nancy in France, Weert in the Netherlands, and Zottegem in Belgium.

Young has scooped multiple awards in his six-decade career, including two Grammys and nine Juno Awards.

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He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, once in 1995 as a solo artist, then again as part of rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1997.

His well-known hits include Cinamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and Rockin’ In The Free World.

Last year, he headlined Glastonbury and performed at BST Hyde Park.

A NI shop’s Valentine’s Day card featuring a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Enoch Burke saga has quickly become a best seller.

A Valentine’s Day card drawing inspiration from the widely publicised Enoch Burke case has swiftly become a bestseller, owing to its cheeky message.

Mr Burke, a sacked teacher, has remained in the spotlight in recent years due to an ongoing legal battle with Wilson’s Hospital School. The dispute commenced in 2022 after he refused a request from the Co Westmeath school’s then-principal to refer to a pupil by a new name and pronoun, citing his religious convictions and constitutional rights.

Despite a court order preventing him from attending the school, Mr Burke repeatedly turned up, leading to fines amounting to €225,000 and more than 550 days behind bars for violating the injunction. He has challenged his dismissal from the school and continues to receive full salary whilst the appeals process is ongoing, with those payments being redirected to cover compensation owed to the school.

In January, Mr Burke applied for a temporary injunction against the disciplinary appeals panel, raising concerns described by Mr Justice Cregan as “credible” and “substantive”. The judge temporarily freed him from Mountjoy Prison to prepare his case, but he was jailed again the next day after turning up at Wilson’s Hospital School.

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Images and footage of Mr Burke outside the school rapidly circulated online, and these moments have now been transformed into a viral Valentine’s card. The card, retailing at £3.50 through Derry Nice Things, features an illustration of Mr Burke positioned outside a school alongside the verse: “Roses are red, I’m here to stay, You’ll never get rid of me, Happy Valentine’s Day.”, reports the Irish Mirror.

The shop has labelled it on social media as one of their “best sellers”.

They posted: “VALENTINE’S DAY COUNTDOWN. There’s just over two weeks to go until Valentine’s Day. Make sure you sort your other half out with a unique and locally inspired card.

“These are just some of our best-sellers and new additions, but you can explore the full collection on our website. You can also check us out in store in some of our many stockists.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Apple has shared three straightforward ways iPhone users can adjust their settings for peace of mind

Fed up with constant spam calls? There’s a simple fix to halt them entirely or drastically cut down their frequency. Taking swift action could be important if you want to safeguard your hard-earned cash from being drained.

Some scammers are incredibly convincing and can extract your personal details within moments, leaving your bank account nearly empty before you’ve even cottoned on to what’s happening. So what’s the solution?

Apple has advised iPhone owners that they can switch on the built-in Silence Unknown Callers feature, and if that’s not for you, there are two other methods available. Here’s everything you need to know, reports the Mirror.

Screen or silence unknown callers

• Phone app: Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers, then select Never, Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Never means calls from unsaved numbers ring like any other call; Ask Reason for Calling means these calls are screened (the caller is asked why they’re calling before your phone even rings); and Silence automatically silences these calls and sends them to voicemail.
• FaceTime: Tap to turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.

Filter unknown callers

• Go to Settings, then tap Apps. Tap Phone or FaceTime
• Scroll down to Call Filtering, and turn on Unknown Callers. Missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are moved to your Unknown Callers list
• If you want to see your Unknown Callers list in the Phone app or FaceTime, tap the Filter button, then tap Unknown Callers. In the Phone app, this appears in the Recents tab in Classic view, and in the Calls tab in Unified.

Silence spam callers

• Navigate to Settings, then select Apps. Select Phone or FaceTime.
• Scroll to Call Filtering and activate your spam filter: FaceTime: Toggle on FaceTime Spam. Calls flagged as Spam or fraud are muted and transferred to the Spam list.
• On your phone app: Toggle on Spam. Calls marked as Spam or fraud by your mobile network provider are muted, directed to voicemail and shifted to your Spam list.
• To access your Spam list, simply tap the Filter button, followed by Spam. Within the Phone app, you’ll find this in the Recents tab when using Classic view, or in the Calls tab if you’re using Unified view.

Contacts warning

Apple stresses that when activating these features, it’s essential to add trusted contacts to your address book to avoid missing important calls from family, friends, your child’s school, workplace, or GP surgery. “If you call the emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours”, the company cautions.

Telephone Preference Service

Following Apple’s latest guidance for users, the technology firm isn’t the only one working to tackle nuisance calls. Citizens Advice specialists suggest registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) as a helpful step.

After registering, your number is placed on a database of individuals who don’t want to receive sales and marketing calls. It’s against the law for salespeople, whether operating from the UK or overseas, to ring numbers registered with TPS.

It adds: “Registering won’t stop automated marketing calls, also known as ‘computer-generated calls’. This is because the law only applies to people, not computers. You should talk to your telephone provider about how to stop these calls.”

The fastest method to register is by completing the TPS online registration form on the TPS website. To register with TPS you’ll need your: It’s worth noting that registering with the TPS won’t stop scam calls from getting through.

Details on how to report scams can be accessed here. Information about reporting fraudulent activity is available here.

UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles per year, according to Defra, but single-use plastic is falling out of favour, thanks to efforts from David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. More people are turning to reusable water bottles and in return, bottles are getting smarter. The best water bottles these days are insulated, leak-proof, filtered and BPA free.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, an industrial chemical compound used in the manufacturing of strong plastics. Some research suggests BPA can leak into food and drink and cause health problems. “When looking for a bottle, look for non-toxic materials. Stainless steel is one of the most eco-friendly materials for a water bottle. Not only is it safe, but it is very durable and infinitely recyclable,” says Natalie Byrne, marketing manager at Go Outdoors.

For this guide I’ve tested a number of the best water bottles on the market – including gym water bottles, water bottles with straws and even the Air Up water bottle which uses scented pods to trick your brain into thinking you’re drinking squash. Whether you’re looking for a durable water bottle for hiking or simply one that’s dishwasher-safe, you should find something to suit you below.

The best water bottles: At a glance

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How we test best water bottles

To find the best water bottle, I tried and tested dozens over the period of a month. I threw them in my backpack on my daily commute to test if they were leak-proof and I sipped them at my desk. I bundled them into my gym bag along with my gym leggings and yoga mat and even took them on runs. I left them for hours at a time to test how insulated they really were, using a thermometer to measure both cold and hot water, and I researched the materials each is made from to check for toxic materials.

I really wanted to find a water bottle that was both lightweight enough to carry around all day, insulated enough to keep water cold for hours and durable enough that it could take a few knocks and scratches. I want one water bottle that does everything, so I don’t have to have a separate bottle for home, work and the gym. I also looked at value for money. You wouldn’t believe the cost of some water bottles I looked at.