A former government minister has called on Keir Starmer’s cabinet to oust him as prime minister or she will trigger a leadership election.

Catherine West gave the PM’s top team until Monday to act or else she will.

She made her shock intervention in an interview with Radio 4′s PM programme on Saturday afternoon.

West, who was sacked as a Foreign Office minister by Starmer in a reshuffle last September, said: “This afternoon, I would like the cabinet to come around the table and elect a leader amongst themselves.

“If that cannot happen, and there are no leadership hopefuls who come forward tomorrow, then Monday morning I will put my name forward to stand for the leader of the Labour Party.

“I will be seeking the 81 names that are needed to take to the party chair and I will begin a leadership election.”

A Labour MP told HuffPost UK he was “almost certain” West will get the support she needs.

“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that,” the MP said, before adding: “She is a hero for doing this.”

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I’m still reeling from the stench I smelled in my fridge the other day. After an unpleasant inspection, I realised the issue wasn’t a rotting courgette or some turned milk; instead, the little drainage hole at the back of the fridge had gotten blocked, leading stagnant water to pool under our bottom drawer.

I probably don’t need to tell you that this was not a welcome aroma. Nor did it go away completely after I flushed and cleared the drain, no matter how many times I wiped and re-wiped the surfaces.

It took a tip from appliance company Whirlpool – using coffee grounds – to finally rid our kitchen of the stinky spectre.

You’ve likely already heard that a bowl of baking powder can help to get rid of some odours.

But if you don’t have that, coffee grounds do just as good a job, said Whirlpool.

“Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which is great for neutralising odours. If you’re dealing with refrigerator odours, try placing a small bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge compartment,” their site reads.

“It will not only help absorb the odour but also leave behind a slight coffee smell.”

They do also reccomend vinegar for stronger smells, though we were dealing with a lingering, one-off scent remnant here rather than an ongoing smell issue.

And yes, old coffee grounds do the job brilliantly, as The Kitchn noted. Just make sure they’re dry; you can do that by placing them in a thin layer on a baking tray after use and waiting.

So far, it’s worked. A day after the Great Stink, our fridge is back to its normal aroma.

The Kitchn also recommended using their deodorising power on your hands.

“The next time your hands are stinky from cutting fish, onions, or garlic, wet them and then use the coffee grounds to scrub them,” they said.

One caveat, though: do this over a bin with its lid off rather than a sink, so the grounds don’t go down the drain.

We’ve written before about how helpful Spanish squats and reverse lunges can be if you sometimes struggle doing exercise due to knee pain.

And according to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Chris Raynor, you can add “cycling squats” to that list.

In a YouTube short, the expert said he loves to use these kinds of exercises “for rehabilitation after knee injury or knee surgery, because I think that they are a safe way of activating the quadricep muscle and developing quadricep strength”.

Men’s Health, meanwhile, called them the “ultimate quad burn” which can increase your ankle mobility, reduce the strain on your lower back, and, of course, strengthen your legs.

Also known as “heel elevation squats”, cyclist squats involve – surprise – keeping your heels elevated as you perform the exercise.

This is sometimes done with a sloped squat ramp or “riser”.

You should keep your feet together as you perform the movement, which can be done with or without a kettlebell or dumbbell held in front of you to your chest.

Cyclist or heel elevated squats with a kettlebell are called “goblet cyclist squats”.

• Stand on a squat ramp or “riser” with your feet together, torso straight, and arms either straight in front of you or holding a weight to your chest.
• Lower yourself down, hinging at the hips and knees, as if you’re trying to tuck your bottom on top of your heels.
• Rise back up, “pushing” the floor away with your feet.

This type of squat “encourages more work from the quads, and less on the hips, low back and adductors” than a regular squat, Mirafit explained.

They added that for people with weaker knees, cycling squats can help you progressively overload the joint over time, protecting it from future harm.

The heel elevation can help you achieve a deeper squat, too. And if you’re holding a kettlebell while doing the exercise, you’ll work your postural muscles, which help both your upper and lower back.

Dr Raynor added that goblet cyclist squats may help to activate the vastus medialus obliqus (VMO), a teardrop-shaped muscle in our upper legs, as “one of the best ways to make sure that it is engaged is to activate the quad when it is in its most lengthened position”.

That happens during deeper squats, like this one. The VMO is a key muscle in stabilising our knees.

A 2025 paper found that “elevated heel heights… can enhance squat stability by reducing centre of pressure (COP) deviation and trunk lean, both of which are key factors for minimising injury risks in squatting exercise”.

Once you’ve figured out how to give decent oral sex, it’s easy to go on autopilot. You know the basics, your partner’s not complaining, you might even have a little trick you’ve worked on through the years – why mess with success?

But bedroom skills, like anything else, can always use a little levelling up. And when it comes to cunnilingus, there’s one small adjustment that sex experts swear can upgrade the experience for both of you: the Kivin method, aka the sideways method.

Not to be confused with some random guy named Kevin’s go-to move, the Kivin method is an oral sex technique that relies on a perpendicular position: instead of facing the receiver head-on, the giver lies across their body, aligning their lips side-to-side. Usually, the receiver has one or both legs raised atop the giver’s shoulder, to allow more access.

The technique focuses on stimulating the clitoris, vulva and perineum from the side with the tongue, creating broader stimulation that some people find more intense and pleasurable. (The perineum is that diamond-shaped expanse of skin, muscle, and tissue located between the anus and the genitals.)

Usually, the receiver has one or both legs raised to allow the giver more access. For the visual learners, here’s what it looks like:

As for the name, the origins of the technique – who’s Kivin? – are a little hard to pin down, but the method is bandied about often by sex educators online, and it got a mention in 2001 in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tantric Sex.

Sex therapists and sexologists we spoke to said taking a sideways approach to oral sex naturally changes the stimulation. It also might be more comfortable for the giver, especially for their neck, said Sadie Allison, a sexologist and author of Ride ’Em Cowgirl! Sex Position Secrets for Better Bucking. (Bucking is a subject for another day.)

Because you’re not craning your neck at an awkward angle the whole time, you can usually keep going longer, which means more pleasure for the receiver. The position also opens the door to mixing in other kinds of sex play, making the whole experience feel a little less routine and more exciting.

“Your hands are free in a different way, so you can easily touch breasts, stomach, thighs, and hips from a new angle, creating a fuller experience,” Allison told HuffPost. “Internal stimulation can be easier to incorporate. With this new position, it can be easier to provide vaginal, G-spot, or even anal play at the same time.”

And since the giver’s body is now more within reach of the receiver, they’re also free to caress, touch or otherwise be more engaged in the moment.

“This makes for a more intimate and connected experience,” Allison said. “Try rubbing their shoulders, playing with their hair, or tease their nipples.”

Obviously, every clitoris-haver is different, and not everyone is going to love what Kivin brings to the table. But if you want to try it on your partner now that you’ve got the basics down, here are a few additional tips on how to assume the position.

If you know you’re getting busy later and want to try a new position, it’s a good idea to stretch and limber up first, said Greg Kilpatrick, a psychotherapist and sex therapist in Pasadena, California.

“We stretch at the gym, before and during a run or yoga,” he said. “All of these other activities where we really want our bodies to show up, sex shouldn’t be any different.”

Keeley Rankin, a sex and relationship coach in San Francisco, actually thinks the Kivin method would be great if the receiver was lying on a sofa and the giver was kneeling on their knees, tipping their head to the side. It might be an easier position to get into than both people being flat on the same surface, she said.

“I think one of the most important things with anything having to do with sex, especially oral sex, is enthusiasm, and so much of that is needing to be comfortable while doing it,” Rankin said.

“You’re not going to have a ton of enthusiasm if you’re worried how your neck is going to feel tomorrow,” she said. So don’t be afraid to tweak your oral sex position and do what works for you, even if you’re in the middle of performing.

You can also try a version where the receiver lies on their side, Allison said.

“Bend the top leg and lift it slightly to open up,” she said. “Then you come in from the side in the ‘T’ position. Same concept, just a different feel.”

You also may want to incorporate a pillow (or a sex pillow) under the hips while the receiver is on their back.

“The giver can lie on their stomach, and it really does feel like everything is perfectly presented – easy access, great angle,” she said.

Oral in general is an interesting topic, Kilpatrick said, because it really illustrates how what we expect to feel great to a partner may not actually feel all that great, or how something we expect to feel “eh” can be total fireworks.

“This is particularly the case in heterosexual sex; there are plenty of erogenous areas that can be totally missed without exploration and conversation,” he said.

For instance, he said, it might not intuitively make sense to a male partner to give his female partner’s labia attention until he learns that his scrotum is made of very similar tissue and he likes his balls played with.

Similarly, openly talk about what you liked or didn’t like about the Kivin method.

“When we slow down and make connections like this, it suddenly can make more sense, and lead to more opportunities for pleasure,” Kilpatrick said.

Giving oral sex sideways is a great opportunity to try what Allison likes to call “The Velvet Glide”. We’ll let her explain.

“Create a soft seal with your lips over the entire vulva and keep a gentle, steady suction – nothing too intense,” she said. “Then slowly glide side-to-side along the full length of the vulva. Let it feel smooth and continuous as if you were gliding your puckered lips across corn on the cob.”

The key here is consistency and coverage.

“With the Kivin method, you’re stimulating more areas at once and building anticipation instead of focusing only on the clitoris,” she said. “There are thousands of pleasure enhancing nerve endings all over the inner labia as well, and you’ll be offering more coverage for heightened sensations.”

Everyone’s favourite demoted planet, Pluto, may be shielding a mystery that’s baffled scientists.

An icy body beyond the dwarf planet seems to have an atmosphere that shouldn’t be there, according to a paper published in Nature Astronomy.

At just 500km across, the object, catchily named (612533) 2002 XV ought to be too tiny to have any atmosphere at all.

That’s partly why little planet Pluto was believed to be the only object in our solar system that had an atmosphere beyond Neptune.

But researchers hink they’ve found a “refractive signature, indicating a thin atmosphere” from the even tinier icy mass.

And they do mean “thin”. Some reports suggest the potential atmosphere could be 50-100 times thinner than Pluto’s own, already very weak, atmosphere, and 5-10 million times thinner than ours here on Earth.

Nonetheless, the minor “plutino” planet seemed to affect how a distant star looked while it occulted (temporarily appeared to cover) it.

Rather than cleanly appearing, being hidden, and then reappearing in a kind of “blink” or “wink” illusion, the star appeared to fade slowly as it approached and left the cover of the plutino. That usually only happens when a plant has an atmosphere, as the gases change how the light is filtered.

“This discovery suggests that the traditional idea that global dense atmospheres form only around larger planets must be revised,” the paper reads.

However, planetary scientist Alan Stern told the Associated Press that while “The implications are profound if verified,” the “amazing development… sorely needs independent verification”.

That could involve confirmation by, e.g., NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.

The researchers put forward two theories, though Space.com pointed out that both may have flaws.

The first suggests that another body, like a comet, might have impacted the plutino. But that’d be a stroke of luck on the researchers’ part: the gases from collisions like these fade over time, meaning we would have had to have caught it relatively soon after the impact.

That’s why, study author Ko Arimatsu told AP, the researchers plan to monitor the site. “If the atmosphere fades over the next several years, that would support an impact origin.”

Another theory? Ice volcanoes, which release sublimated gas through cryovolcanic activity. But the cause of this proposed activity is completely unknown.

“If [the atmosphere] persists, or varies seasonally, that would point more toward ongoing internal gas supply,” Arimatsu said.

It’s no secret that your body eliminates digested food through your stool. Your body uses enzymes and acid to break down the nutrients in the foods you eat, and it’s typically not visible in the toilet bowl.

However, when you eat foods like corn, this isn’t always the case.

“Corn does have this reputation of showing up and making a second appearance after a meal,” said gastroenterologist Dr. Leybelis Padilla. Think about the last time you had Chipotle or corn on the cob – did it come out intact later?

For most people, this is a completely normal occurrence. If you’re interested in why this happens, we spoke with doctors to help us understand:

What you’re seeing in your stool is often just the outer shell of the corn, which is called the pericarp. This part of the starchy vegetable is made of indigestible plant fibres.

“It is made of a very tough cellulose, a type of fibre that our human body cannot fully break down. The reason is that we lack the enzymes to fully digest this shell,” said Dr. Susan Kais, a board-certified gastroenterologist.

“Even with thorough chewing, that outer layer often stays intact while the inside is digested,” Kais continued. “This is completely normal and should not be a cause for concern. It simply reflects how our human digestive system handles certain plant fibres.”

Since everyone’s digestive tract and digestive system can vary, not everyone will have corn come out whole in their stool. Eating multiple pieces of corn at once or not chewing enough can affect how the food comes out in your stool, too.

“It depends on how thoroughly the corn is chewed and individual digestive differences. Some people may see it more often, while others rarely do. Both experiences are normal,” Kais explained.

How quickly food moves through a person’s digestive tract and whether someone’s microbiome or gut bacteria is capable of fermenting the corn could play a role as well.

“Even still, even if someone’s microbiome is more adept at digesting or fermenting these starches, this outer shell is often still there,” Padilla noted.

From a nutritional standpoint, is the vegetable even worth consuming if it runs right through you? The short answer: yes. Since what you’re spotting is the pericarp, rest assured, you’re getting the benefits of corn.

“The digestible parts of the corn, including carbohydrates, vitamins and some antioxidants, are released once the kernel is broken down by thorough chewing and further digestion,” Kais explained.

“The outer shell passing through does not mean the nutrients are lost,” Kais continued. “Think of it as the ‘packaging’ staying intact while the contents are still used.”

This isn’t true if you don’t chew the kernel and just swallow it whole, however. “If you do not chew the kernel, you are unable to open the packaging for your body to absorb its nutrients. So, chew well when eating corn to gain the nutrients,” Kais said.

Other high-fibre foods can behave similarly to corn.

“You might notice things like blueberries, seeds, nuts, popcorn hulls or vegetable skins like tomatoes or peppers in your stool,” Kais said. “These foods again have tough outer layers that are resistant to our human digestion, especially if not fully chewed.”

Don’t worry, this is a normal finding and usually not something to worry about unless it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as persistent changes in your stool or you have digestive concerns. It’s always a good idea to consult your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your digestive health.

Three weeks ago, my wife told me my hair looked ridiculous and I needed a haircut. I agreed. But I still haven’t booked one.

This is not new behaviour. The time between haircuts keeps stretching. Six weeks becomes eight. Eight becomes “when I get around to it”. My wife and sons mention it. But my hair routine is simple. However I wake up is how it looks. I haven’t stopped caring – style has just slid down the priority list.

It’s common once men reach middle age. There comes a point where keeping up just stops feeling worth the effort. The stomach doesn’t get sucked in at the beach, and the grey doesn’t get touched up. Phrases that kids call “such a boomer thing to say” get used without shame.

“Almost as if I was given a magic spell, somewhere just after my 50th birthday, I stopped pretending to care whether my shoes matched my outfit,” said Nathan Rice, 53.

“Pre-50 me would’ve judged Crocs like they were a moral failing.” Now he owns multiple pairs. Fuzzy for winter, breezy for summer. “It’s full-time comfort mode, and honestly, I know it’s not anyone’s idea of cool, and don’t care.”

And it goes well past wardrobe.

At 57, Elias Friedman no longer feels the need to look busy. “If I am done at work, I am done and I leave for the day,” said Friedman, a financial planner. The “I shouldn’t eat this” routine over dessert? “Just order it and move on. I exercise four-plus days per week. It’s time to enjoy life more.” As for networking events, he’d rather “have one real conversation than 10 forgettable ones.”

It started around 50, he said. “It was realising how much mental bandwidth was going to things that had zero impact on my actual life. It feels like a combination of earned confidence and fatigue. You’ve run the experiment long enough to know what matters and what doesn’t.” His family has noticed, too. “I have less patience for anything inauthentic.”

Sometimes it’s clearer from the outside. Runbo Li saw it in his father, a Chinese immigrant who spent decades running small businesses in Pennsylvania. “He’d rehearse small talk before parent-teacher conferences like he was prepping for a deposition,” Li said. “Pressed shirts to go to Costco. Careful English around neighbours.”

Then somewhere around 55, “he started wearing the same three polo shirts in rotation. Not because he couldn’t afford more. Because, and I quote, ‘Nobody is looking at me.’” He once wore house slippers to a restaurant, and when Li’s mom pointed it out, he said, “The food tastes the same.”

At a family barbecue, a neighbour asked what he thought about some political topic. “He just said, ‘I don’t think about it,’” Li said. “My mom looked at me like she’d lost him. I thought he’d finally found himself.”

There’s a reason this tends to hit men around the same age. Licensed clinical social worker Kym Tolson said it’s less about giving up and more about what she calls radical acceptance. “For decades, their identity is often tied to performance, providing and fitting into a specific mould of success. When they hit their 50s, there is a profound sense of relief that comes with realising they don’t have to perform anymore.”

According to Tolson, families usually notice first, because “the man’s behaviour changes before he even consciously realises his mindset has shifted. He’s just living his life, but the family sees the sudden absence of anxiety.”

Licensed mental health counsellor Matt Grammer calls it “social camouflage,” and says it falls away in the early to mid-50s.

One of his clients sat through a 15-minute conversation about cryptocurrency at a barbecue, went home and told his wife, “Next time I’m just going to say, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’” He felt relieved, not resigned. “Men at this age understand that all of the little social acts, looking busy, staying on trend, going the extra mile, do not change the social outcome,” Grammer said.

The thing that took Mark Shrime, 51, longest to let go of was the dance floor. At a wedding late last year, the music started, everyone rushed to the floor, and the pleas kicked in: “Come on, just one dance!” He’d always felt the guilt of being the one person who stayed seated, and he would join in. “This was the first time I ever felt like, you know what? I don’t actually want to … and I don’t have to.” Shrime calls it freeing. “I’ve finally accepted that I’m content sipping my whiskey and being around my friends who are having the time of their lives.”

The shift isn’t always about what you stop doing. Sometimes it’s about what you stop saying. Keith Holloway used to justify every decision to anyone who raised an eyebrow. “I used to explain myself. Constantly,” he said. “Someone would push back on a decision, and I’d justify it until they agreed. I’ve completely stopped. I know what I know. If you’re curious, ask me. If you disagree, good for you.”

After his separation, he saw that “a staggering amount of my energy had gone toward managing other people’s opinions of me. That’s done now.” He also hasn’t worn pants that button on a Zoom call since 2021. And won’t ever again.

Some men have taken it further than they’d ever admit to their families. Ian Glennon, a 57-year-old writer, hasn’t shared this with his family yet. “The thing that I do now, that I would never have done pre-50, is wear the same pairs of underpants and socks two days in a row,” he said.

“I turn them inside out so there’s at least a cognitive resonance that they’re ‘clean.’” He admits that two days occasionally stretch to three. Public holidays falling on a Monday are, he said, a case in point.

He hasn’t told his 16-year-old daughter. “I’m sure the response would contain the words: ‘gross,’ ‘too much information’ and ‘do NOT post that on social media.’” He plans to send her the link when this article runs.

My wife still tells me I need a haircut, and my sons groan when I play country music. Last week, I described something as “absolute cinema” and my sons looked at me like I’d committed a crime. I’ll book the haircut eventually. But I’m not rushing. And when I wake up tomorrow, however my hair looks is how it’s going to stay.