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These Simple Tasks Can Cut Your Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

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New research is offering some actionable steps we can take to protect our minds from memory loss.

A large UK-based study published this week in the American Academy of Neurology’s medical journal found that physical and mental activities – such as doing household chores, exercising or visiting loved ones may help lower the risk of dementia.

The roughly 11-year study followed 501,376 people in the UK who self-reported their physical and mental activities at the beginning of the experiment: how often they visit with friends, their education level, how often they climb stairs, how they commute to work, and more.

The study found certain activities were associated with a lower risk of dementia. People who frequently exercised had a 35% lower risk, people who frequently did household chores had a 21% lower risk and people who visited daily with family and friends had a 15% lower risk.

And while dementia risk factors also include things that are out of our control – like ageing and genetics ― the research underscores that there are behaviours within your power to either reduce your risk of dementia or delay the condition, Dr. Scott Turner, director of the memory disorders program at Georgetown University Medical Centre, tells HuffPost.

The study does come with a few caveats: The findings are a correlation, not necessarily a direct link. Another limitation is that because people reported their own physical and mental activities, there’s always a chance that some people forgot about activities they engaged in or reported them incorrectly.

“More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, our results are encouraging that making these simple lifestyle changes may be beneficial,” study author Dr. Huan Song of Sichuan University in China, said in a statement.

Overall, the results are good news, considering that an estimated 850,000 people live with dementia in the UK, according to the NHS, and some 5 million in the US — with those numbers only expected to grow.

Keeping your brain stimulated is key

Whether through physical activity, social activity or mental activity, putting your brain to work can help delay dementia onset or reduce the risk altogether.

Chores double as both a physical and mental activity (and can even sometimes be considered exercise, Turner noted). Visits with loved ones are a social activity that also requires mental stimulation, and physical activity requires mental dedication, too.

Turner said that people who develop visual or hearing problems could be at a higher risk of dementia if they don’t address the problem by getting glasses or hearing aids. When you can’t hear or see, he explained, “you’re depriving your brain of sensory input, and you need to keep your brain stimulated” to help reduce your risk of dementia.

Physical activity is one way to help decrease your risk of dementia.

Morsa Images via Getty Images

Physical activity is one way to help decrease your risk of dementia.

Physical activity has a double benefit when it comes to dementia risk

Another risk factor for dementia is diabetes, Turner notes, and there are lifestyle patterns you can follow to reduce your risk of diabetes. These include exercising, following a healthy diet and maintaining an ideal body weight throughout your lifetime.

So, not only does exercise help slash your risk of dementia, but it also helps slash your risk of diabetes, which, in itself, puts you at risk for memory loss.

It’s never too late to implement these changes

Turner stresses that no matter your age, it’s never too late to start following some of these lifestyle recommendations. And that can be as simple as doing some extra vacuuming around the house or going for a walk with your neighbour, for example.

“I recommend doing as much as possible with lifestyle [changes] to avoid and prevent dementia,” he says. “And, of course, prevention is better than treatment.”

For those who already have memory problems or dementia, Turner says lifestyle changes that require physical, social or mental activity are still beneficial. You can help slow down the progression of dementia by keeping your brain stimulated. This is why puzzles are a popular activity among people with Alzheimer’s disease.

If you experience any new memory problems, talk to your doctor

“If someone does develop memory problems, then they certainly should seek evaluation starting with their primary care provider,” Turner says.

He stresses that some very treatable things cause memory problems, like sleep apnea and Vitamin B12 deficiency. But any neurological changes should be evaluated so you get the proper treatment plan.

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Rebekah Vardy Loses Coleen Rooney ‘WAGatha Christie’ Libel Case As Judge Finally Makes Ruling

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Rebekah Vardy has lost her high-profile libel battle against Coleen Rooney.

The two footballers’ wives have been embroiled in a very public feud since October 2019, when Coleen published a now-infamous post on Twitter claiming that Rebekah’s Instagram account was the source of several “false stories” about her being leaked to The Sun.

Rebekah has always maintained her innocence in the matter, and subsequently sued Coleen for libel in what became widely referred to as the “WAGatha Christie” case.

The trial began in May, and lasted for a week, with judge Mrs Justice Steyn sharing her ruling on Friday afternoon.

She ruled that it was “likely” that Rebekah’s then-agent, Caroline Watt, “undertook the direct act” of passing the information to The Sun

However, she added: “Nonetheless, the evidence … clearly shows, in my view, that Mrs Vardy knew of and condoned this behaviour, actively engaging in it by directing Ms Watt to the private Instagram account, sending her screenshots of Mrs Rooney’s posts, drawing attention to items of potential interest to the press, and answering additional queries raised by the press via Ms Watt.”

Rebekah Vardy arriving in court in May
Rebekah Vardy arriving in court in May

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

She concluded: “In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.”

Mrs Justice Steyn has found that Rebekah Vardy’s evidence in the trial was “manifestly inconsistent” with other evidence on “many occasions”.

She said: “Mrs Vardy was generally unwilling to make factual concessions, however implausible her evidence.

“This inevitably affects my overall view of her credibility, although I have borne in mind that untruthful evidence may be given to mask guilt or to fortify innocence.”

The judge also spoke about the “vile abuse” Rebekah had received from members of the public in the wake of Coleen’s initial post, insisting: “Nothing of which Mrs Vardy has been accused, nor any of the findings in this judgment, provide any justification or excuse for subjecting her or her family, or any other person involved in this case, to such vitriol.”

During the seven-day trial, Coleen’s barrister David Sherborne argued that Rebekah had a “habitual and established practice” of leaking information about those she knew – through her friend and former agent Caroline Watt – to The Sun newspaper.

Of Coleen’s viral “reveal” post, her barrister added: “It is what she believed at the time… and it is what she believes even more so now that we have got to the end of the case.”

Coleen leaving court with her husband Wayne
Coleen leaving court with her husband Wayne

Karwai Tang via Getty Images

However, Rebekah’s legal representative Hugh Tomlinson QC insisted that Coleen had “failed to produce any evidence” that his client had “regularly and frequently abused her status as a trusted follower” of her private Instagram account by passing on information from it to The Sun.

He added: “Mrs Vardy’s case is and always has been that she did not leak the information nor did she authorise anyone else to leak.”

“She does not know to this day what happened,” he said. “She does not know where this information came from.”

The barrister also claimed that Rebekah had suffered “very serious harm to her reputation” as a result of Coleen’s initial post.

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Scottish Union Leader Quits In Protest At Sacking Of Sam Tarry

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A Scottish union leader has quit the Labour party in protest at the sacking of shadow minister Sam Tarry.

Kevin Lindsay, an organiser for the Aslef train drivers’ union in Scotland, said Tarry’s sacking was “a step too far” and a sign the party is “moving to the right and is becoming unrecognisable”.

Tarry, a shadow minister in the transport team, was sacked on Wednesday evening for a joining striking rail workers on the picket line.

The Labour Party said it had no choice but to sack Tarry because he had also done a round of broadcast interviews without permission of party HQ and had also “made up policy on the hoof”.

In response, Tarry told LBC Radio his sacking was a “catastrophic mistake” and warned that other colleagues could quit in protest.

“I think it’s wrong to state that any Labour politician — whether it be a councillor, whether it be an MP, whether it be a shadow minister — shouldn’t be showing solidarity,” he said.

“If it isn’t tackled properly, there’s going to be a real danger that it won’t just be me that’s sacked, I think you’ll see dozens and dozens of shadow ministers sacked across the whole country.” Speaking to Times Radio, he called Starmer’s decision to ban his team from joining the picket line a “catastrophic mistake.”

Lindsay is one of a number of union bosses to express anger at Tarry’s sacking.

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, described the sacking as “another insult to the trade union movement” while Mick Lynch, the head of the RMT union, accused Starmer of “playing up to the agenda of Liz Truss and the right wing press”.

In a letter to the party confirming his resignation, Lindsay wrote: “The Labour Party was and is meant to be the political wing of the trade union movement but now it’s more interested in trying woo Tory voters in the shires of England than representing working people.

“As a democrat, I respect that Keir Starmer has been elected the leader but I truly believe his performance and policies are making it impossible for the Labour Party to return to power and that he should be removed from his position immediately.

“There needs to be a change in leadership and political direction but I sadly can’t see this happening and we will end up with PM Truss for several years.

“Therefore I have made the decision not only to resign from the Labour Party but now also support the proposal for Aslef to disaffiliate from the party.”

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Yep, There’s Another New Zara Dress Everyone’s Wearing This Summer

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There’s a new Zara dress that’s gone viral and we’re back to playing our favourite fashion game: spotting it in the wild.

First, there was That Coat – a patterned number first produced by Zara in 2016 that inspired its own Instagram account. But soon, it had a rival.

The Dress – the black and white polka dot midi – became unavoidable during pre-pandemic 2019, with hype on yet-unseen levels. Women wore it to brunch, to baby showers and even to their own weddings. It too inspired its very own Instagram account, not to mention countless newspaper articles.

This year on TikTok, younger women said enough of these shapeless, floaty numbers and the Pink Slip Dress became the outfit du jour (#ZaraPinkDress has gained more than 9.7million views since the spring).

But this summer, there’s another mini patterned dress that women can’t get enough of. Because say what you want about Zara, the brand knows how to create designs with unrivalled mass appeal.

The latest viral dress, retailing at £32.99, comes in a variety of patterns and colours, but the pink and green paisley versions seem to be most popular.

On TikTok, user Sarah Gledhill shared a funny video counting the dresses at York Races.

The video has been liked more than 31,000 times and in the comments, others have been joking about seeing the dress everywhere, too.

“This has made my day,” one person said. “I’ve literally been sending my sister photos around London this last week every time I see this dress. It’s become a game.”

Another added: “Just seen two girls where that dress for at a hen do I went to yesterday.”

And a third joked: “Not me sat here at a staff event in the pink one.”

The dress has even found celeb fans, with Eddie Izzard snapped wearing it on the way to the airport.

And over on Instagram, you don’t have to scroll for long before you’ll find women rocking the look.

We’re yet to spot an Instagram account dedicated to this year’s new It Dress, but just give it time.

And until then, if you’ve nabbed one yourself, we salute you. You’ve clearly got excellent taste.

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These Ukrainians Support First Lady Olena Zelenska’s Controversial Vogue Shoot – Here’s Why

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Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has been accused of “glamourising the war” on Twitter after starring in Vogue magazine’s cover shoot – but many Ukrainians don’t see it that way.

Zelenska and the president, her husband Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have been pushing Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to the top of the international news agenda for almost six months, in a bid to secure more help from the West.

Zelenskyy has spoken in the UK’s House of Commons, at the UN and at the EU. He has been featured on TIME magazine’s front cover over his leadership skills, and was even dubbed the “modern Churchill” for his communication.

Then, fashion magazine Vogue put the couple on its cover.

While Zelenska led the shoot – and in one photo was photoshopped into a scene with Ukrainian soldiers – she also posed with her husband in his army clothes for a couple of other images.

And something about the shoot rattled some on Twitter:

However, many Ukrainians on the same platform have been keen to defend Zelenska and remind these critics what war really looks like.

In a Twitter thread, Oleksandra Povoroznyk pointed out: “Most of the English-speaking people on the internet are lucky enough to have no clue what a war actually looks like.”

Through a follow-up exchange with HuffPost UK, she added that she was “genuinely surprised that so many non-Ukrainians saw the photoshoot as something controversial”, and not a “reflection of how strong Ukrainian women actually are”.

“Most Ukrainians I’ve spoke to see the photos and the interview as an important part of what Zelenska’s doing to draw more attention to our country,” Povoroznyk explained.

“In fact, a lot of Ukrainian women are super happy that Zelenska wasn’t portrayed as some kind of dainty and shy tradwife [traditional wife] hiding behind her husband.”

She added that “a lot of Eastern European women are portrayed as very stereotypically feminine”, even though there are still female volunteers in the Ukrainian army right now.

Povoroznyk, who is based in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv according to her Twitter profile, said, “nothing about the photoshoot is ‘glamourising’ the war”.

Instead, she said it was a “pretty accurate representation of what the war feels and looks like to many Ukrainians who are lucky enough to be in cities controlled by Ukraine”.

She claimed that while it was clear those in occupied cities would face a different reality, people in cities are trying to find “some kind [of] war-life balance”.

The Ukrainian explained that plenty of people still do their best to work, to go out with friends, get their nails done, put makeup on under the “constant threat of air strikes”.

She added: “And yet we keep going, because there’s literally nothing else we can do. And sure, a photoshoot for Vogue might not seem like work for the average lurker on Twitter, but it is part of Zelenska’s duties as First Lady.

“Her job is to keep the world’s attention on Ukraine, and that’s why she ’s giving interviews and speeches and yes, even having her photos taken by huge publications like Vogue.”

She also pointed out in a subsequent tweet that Britain’s Queen – back when she was Princess Elizabeth – also took part in photoshoots during World War 2, to raise awareness of the war effort.

She was not the only person to defend the images either, both in and out of Ukraine.

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Nicky Campbell Shares ‘Profound Effect’ Abuse At Edinburgh School Has Had On Him

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BBC presenter Nicky Campbell has shared the “profound effect” the abuse he says he suffered at a Scottish private school during the 1970s has had on him.

The broadcaster spoke for the first time about witnessing incidents of both sexual and physical abuse at the Edinburgh Academy on an episode of his podcast Different on BBC Sounds.

During the episode he discussed his experiences with journalist Alex Renton, creator of the radio programme In Dark Corners, which explores abuse at Britain’s private schools.

Introducing his 5 Live show Nicky told listeners he was about to discuss a difficult subject, adding: “I know I am amongst friends but I may have a wobble but I know you’ll be with me.”

Nicky Campbell
Nicky Campbell

Dave J Hogan via Getty Images

Recalling his experiences, he said: “I was badly beaten up at school by a teacher who was a leading light in the scripture union.

“My mother took it as far as she could and got a grovelling apology from (the man involved), but was essentially stonewalled and it was hushed up by the school.

“Those were different times and that has stayed with me all my life.”

The broadcaster also discussed witnessing more serious sexual abuse allegedly enacted on his school friends at the hands of another man at the institution.

“I cannot describe it here and I can never un-see it,” he said.

“This man was known to us all as a predator and a sadist but we never told anyone.

“My school friends and I talk about it now with each other with again – contempt, disbelief and incomprehension that sort of thing happened in plain sight and nothing was done.

“And why didn’t we as little boys tell anyone in power what was happening? I don’t know.”

It was also revealed to Nicky by Alex that the alleged abuser is still alive, but has not been named for legal reasons.

“He could well be one of the most prolific paedophiles in British criminal history,” Nicky said.

Speaking on his own podcast Nicky says the reason he has chosen to come forward is to bring the man to justice over the alleged abuse.

In a statement provided to the BBC, Edinburgh Academy said it “deeply regrets” the alleged incidents and “wholeheartedly” apologised to those involved.

“We have worked closely with the relevant authorities including Police Scotland with their inquiries and would like to provide reassurance that things have dramatically changed since the 1970s,” the statement read.

“The Academy has robust measures in place to safeguard children at the school with child protection training now core to the ethos of the Academy.”

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has heard evidence about abuse at the Edinburgh Academy, as well as other Scottish private schools

The inquiry, led by Judge Lady Smith, was launched by the Scottish government in 2015. It will report the outcome of its investigations to Scottish ministers “and make recommendations” about policies and the law.

Different With Nicky Campbell is available on BBC Sounds.

Help and support:

  • Rape Crisis services for women and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence – 0808 802 9999
  • Survivors UK offers support for men and boys – 0203 598 3898
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Grant Shapps Says He Will Never Hold Talks With The RMT To End Rail Strikes

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Grant Shapps has insisted he will never sit down with the RMT to end the rail strikes.

The transport secretary said it was a “red herring” to suggest he should get involved in the negotiations.

Around 40,000 RMT members have staged another walkout today in a dispute over proposed changes to working conditions, job cuts and pay.

The union and Labour have called on ministers to get round the table to thrash out a deal to end the industrial action bringing misery to millions of commuters.

But speaking to Sky News, Shapps said: “They don’t need to speak to ministers because their employers are the people who have the mandate to negotiate this, they are the people who they can resolve this with, so this is just them trying to distract attention.”

He added: “It’s not a question of washing my hands, it’s just that I’m not the right person to be in the room negotiating.

“I’m not the right person to discuss, for example, the maintenance schedules of individual groups of workers in situations where they have to send out an entire roster to do a job that may just require one or two people.

“There simply is no reason for the unions to be speaking to anybody other than the employers.”

Asked if he would get involved at any stage, Shapps said: “It’s a no. This is a game by the unions – it’s a complete red herring as well and it’s simply not how strikes are resolved. It can only ever be the employer – in this case Network Rail and the train operating companies – and the union.”

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “Grant Shapps has the power to settle this dispute, so it is utterly shameful he is refusing to do his job and enter talks to end this disruption.

“The Transport secretary has spent more time on his own doomed leadership bid, than he has resolving these strikes.

“This hapless Conservative government is so mired in scandal and chaos, they refuse to do the job they’re paid for and sort this dispute out.”

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Why Watching England’s Lionesses Is Good For Your Mental Health

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You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.

Every football fan will tell you the joy of watching your favourite time play, but a new study goes one step further, detailing how it can even boost your mental health.

And with England’s Lionesses set to face Sweden in the Euro 2022 semi-final, it’s yet another reason to get behind the team, who’ve had a record-breaking run so far.

One in two of all sports fans said watching a match helps them socialise more with friends and family, according to the study conducted by charitable social enterprise, Better. Over a third (35%) said it makes them feel part of a community and 33% said it inspires them to be more active.

The researchers asked 2,000 sports fans across the country questions about their daily exercise regimes, their participation in sports, their sport-viewing habits, their fruit and vegetable intake and their alcohol consumption.

They wanted to determine which sports fans are enjoying engaging in a sport and which ones prefer the comfort of their sofas when watching their favourite athletes compete.

The mighty Lionesses will face Sweden in the Euros semi-final.

Visionhaus via Visionhaus/Getty Images

The mighty Lionesses will face Sweden in the Euros semi-final.

“Sport and exercise is brilliant for physical, mental and cognitive health. If it was a pill it would make billions!” said Dr Josephine Perry, a sports psychologist who spoke to Better.

“As well as the physical benefits, the exercise we get through sport gives us structure, purpose, energy and motivation.”

Dr Perry explained that sport also positively alters the way we process and respond to our emotions, reducing “how much we overthink” helping to build up “an emotional resilience to stress”.

“These help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, make us behave differently, boosts our self-esteem and means we reduce any feelings of loneliness by becoming more social,” she added.

The research also found that football fans were the most active across all sports, with 34% getting over 60 minutes of exercise every day. Footie fans were also found to be the least likely to drink more alcohol while watching sport (45%).

Josh Cheetham, a 30-year-old avid Leeds United fan, was not surprised by the research.
“In 2018 I was suffering from depression, I was in a really dark place after a tragic life event, and I didn’t see how I was going to get better. Then I went to a football match, witnessed one of the best matches I’ve ever seen, and I was feeling better as soon as the final whistle blew,” he said.

“When I watch my team at away matches, I am usually on my own, but I don’t see it that way. We all support the same team, we are all one big community and family, you can start talking to anyone around you and immediately feel like you know them and strike up a friendship that lasts for years.”

So, if you haven’t tuned into the Euros yet, what are you waiting for?

England were always a favourite going into this tournament. But whatever the outcome, you’ll get a boost from supporting them.

Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.

HuffPost UK / Rebecca Zisser

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Lil Nas X, Kendrick Lamar And Jack Harlow Top MTV VMA Nominations

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Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and Kendrick Lamar are the top contenders with seven nominations at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Lil Nas X and Harlow earned multiple nominations for their collaborative hit Industry Baby, which is nominated for video of the year.

Both performers, along with Drake, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lizzo, will compete for artist of the year.

Lamar, who is nominated for the first time since 2018, has two songs, family ties and N95, that will vie for best cinematography.

The rapper was also nominated for best hip-hop, direction, visual effects, editing, and video for good.

Styles and Doja Cat received the second-most nominations with six.

Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd each pulled in five.

Madonna, who is the most decorated artist in MTV history with 20 wins, becomes the only artist to receive a nomination in each of the VMAs’ five decades.

She earned her 69th nomination for her 14th studio album Madame X.

The awards will have 26 first-time nominees, including Baby Keem with four along with Kacey Musgraves, GAYLE and Maneskin – who each have two nominations.

The VMAs will take place on August 28 at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey.

Fan voting begins on Tuesday across 22 categories at vote.mtv.com.

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Tory Leadership Race Is Giving Us A ‘Wealth Of Material’, Labour Party Says

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Labour today said the bitter Tory leadership race was providing them with a “wealth of material” ahead of the next election.

Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, said they would “fulsomely” take advantage of the Tories “trashing their own record”.

She described both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss as “continuity Johnson” and said she was “happy” to face either at the next general election.

The MP for Birmingham Ladywood said she will be able to tell voters on the doorstep to just listen to the Tories criticising their own record.

In an exclusive interview with HuffPost UK, Mahmood said: “They are giving us a wealth of material, we are obviously using some now and we’ll have plans for more later as the contest progresses and as we gear up for the next general election – whenever that might be.

“We would prefer an earlier election because Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are proving every day that they are just more of the same.

“Neither has the answers that the country needs to move forward post-pandemic, neither has the answers on the economy.

“They are just brutally exposing – not just each other – but 12 years of Tory government that has led us to this moment.

“As far as we’re concerned bring on an early general election. As soon as this contest is done they should seek a fresh mandate.”

The vicious battle for No.10 has even prompted Tory grandees to warn the Conservatives they risk being called the “nasty party” again and losing the next election.

“I’ll be able to say to people on the doorstep ‘you don’t have to take my word for it anymore folks just listen to them’. The trashing of their own record, I think that you’d expect us to take advantage of that which we will be doing so fulsomely.”

– Shabana Mahmood

Earlier in the contest Truss and Sunak pulled out of a Sky News debate amid concerns about the damage they were doing to the party’s reputation, forcing the other candidates to follow suit.

But, despite warnings, the unedifying public slanging match has continued between the final candidates and their campaign teams.

Asked if she thought Tory infighting would help Labour win the next election, Mahmood said: “We’re going to be ready for that election whenever it comes.”

However, she said it was on the Labour Party to persuade the public to switch their votes and that they had to show the public they had “changed” and had the answers on the economy and cost of living crisis.

“The Tories are doing an even better job of trashing their own record than we could do or get a hearing on,” she added.

“They’re taking primetime broadcast slots to tear lumps out of each other.”

Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner, leader Keir Starmer and national campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood.
Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner, leader Keir Starmer and national campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood.

JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images

Mahmood said the “vicious infighting” brought back memories of some of Labour’s rowing in recent years.

But she added: “The public never appreciates it and they never reward it at the polls either.

“The Labour Party learnt that lesson in the hardest of ways in 2019, we don’t propose to go there again.”

Mahmood said just pointing to the Tories would not be enough and they did not take the electorate for fools: “We know we’ve got to win their trust back.”

She said Labour was earning the right to be heard again, adding: “It’s on us to seal the deal with the electorate.”

Lord Fowler, who served under Margaret Thatcher and is now a crossbench peer, described Monday night’s BBC debate as “a bad night for the Conservatives”.

He told Times Radio the only people who might have been happy with the outcome would have been the Labour Party, adding: “They’ve got enough clips from that programme to last them through to the next election.”

Yesterday culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who is backing Truss, criticised Sunak for wearing a £3,500 suit and £450 Prada shoes.

Dorries said Truss “will be travelling the country wearing her earrings which cost circa £4.50 from Claire’s Accessories”.

The comments prompted veterans minister Johnny Mercer to warn that the party was putting success at the next election in jeopardy.

“The puerile nature of this leadership contest is embarrassing,” he said. “Time to raise the standards.”

The Labour party is already weaponising quotes, viral clips and images from the Tory leadership debates on their social media accounts.

They include a “Tory leadership bingo” card that cites “shaking the magic money tree” and “Thatcherite cosplay”.

They also created an advert in which they spliced together clips of Tory leadership candidates tearing strips off of each other over their record in government.

“All your bills, every week, every month, they’re going up and up and up,” Sunak says in one part of the video.

“Under your plans, we are predicted to have a recession,” Truss tells Sunak in another clip.

Labour leader Keir Starmer even quoted leadership candidates at Boris Johnson during their final prime minister’s questions.

He said: “She [Liz Truss] also said the former chancellor’s 15 tax rises are leading the country into recession and [Penny Mordaunt] was even more scathing.

“She said ‘our public services are in a desperate state, we can’t continue with what we’ve been doing because it clearly isn’t working’.

“Has the prime minister told her who’s been running our public services for the last 12 years?”

Last night’s showdown saw the two rivals trash each other’s economic plans and Sunak even accused by allies of Truss of “mansplaining”.

Sunak claimed there is “nothing Conservative” about Truss’s approach to cutting taxes and pumping up borrowing, arguing it would give the party “absolutely no chance” of winning the next election.

Foreign secretary Truss, in turn, suggested her rival would lead the country into a recession and criticised him for increasing taxes to the “highest rate in 70 years”.

During the debate a spokesman for Truss told The Times that Sunak was not fit for office, adding: “His aggressive mansplaining and shouty private school behaviour is desperate, unbecoming and is a gift to Labour.”

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