The Know Daily - Tuesday 7 May 2024

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Amsterdam is moving to tackle “urination inequality” following a nine-year campaign for more public toilets on its streets. There were reportedly just three facilities for women compared with 35 urinals for men, but the Dutch capital has now pledged €4m to boost the number of public toilets, which will also be wheelchair-accessible. 

🗳️ Local elections recap

Local elections were held across England and Wales on Thursday 2 May, with results trickling in over the bank holiday weekend.

What were the key results?
The Conservative Party “suffered its worst electoral defeat in years”, said Sky News, as it lost more than half of its councillors who stood for re-election across England. Labour won the Blackpool South by-election from the Conservatives with a 26% swing, with Reform UK coming a close third. And in the London mayoral contest, Labour’s Sadiq Khan was re-elected for a third time, beating his Conservative rival Susan Hall by more than 276,000 votes. 

What are the other big takeaways?
Voters were also choosing metro mayors across England. These contests were among “the most keenly watched”, said The Guardian, with campaigners predicting that the result in Tees Valley and the West Midlands would define how UK politics play out for the rest of 2024.

In a result that could prove to be a “political lifeline” for PM Rishi Sunak, Conservative Ben Houchen won his third consecutive term as Tees Valley Mayor. But in the West Midlands, Labour’s Richard Parker beat his incumbent Conservative rival Andy Street by a margin of just 1,508 votes - a result described by Labour leader Keir Starmer as “beyond our expectations”. 

What does this mean for a general election?
The PM appeared to concede for the first time that his party could be on course to lose its majority, saying that the local election results “suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party”. The PM was referring to an analysis by polling expert Michael Thrasher - but as The Times pointed out, other experts have “cast doubt” on the suggestion of a hung parliament. 

There’s still no date for when the next general election will take place. While it has to be held by 28 January 2025, Sunak said earlier this year that he expected to go to the polls “in the second half” of 2024.