The Know Daily - Monday 22 January 2024

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A critically endangered western lowland gorilla has been born to mother Mjukuu at London Zoo, as part of an international conservation programme. The gorillas’ numbers have declined by more than 60% over the past 20-25 years, according to the WWF, so the birth is certainly worth celebrating. 🎂

☔ Storm Isha is here

Further travel disruption is expected this morning after Storm Isha brought strong winds and heavy rain to much of the UK overnight. 

How stormy was it?
Very. Storm Isha - the ninth named storm of the season - brought 99mph winds to parts of north-east England last night and left tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales without power.

While more severe amber weather warnings expired across much of the UK at 6am this morning, a yellow warning for wind remains in place.

And travel was impacted yesterday?
Yep. ScotRail suspended all of its services from 6pm on Sunday until after 6am on Monday, and air travel was also affected.

While many flights were cancelled due to the storm, there were also a number of “extraordinary diversions”, said the BBC, meaning many passengers are waking up this morning “somewhere they didn’t expect to be”.

How are things looking now?
Travel disruption is expected across the UK this morning, with rush-hour trains “axed for many”, said The Guardian. Network Rail has imposed 50mph speed restrictions across most routes, while no LNER trains will run north of Newcastle until midday.

The weather will brighten up over the course of the day, though the Met Office has said that “further wet and windy weather” is expected tomorrow morning.

🗳️ Electoral geography

Constituency boundaries are changing - here’s what that could mean for the next UK general election.

First things first - why the change?
According to the House of Commons Library, boundaries are “reviewed periodically” to ensure that constituencies are “roughly a similar size” and “respect local ties between areas”. 

Following the recommendations of a 2023 review by the four independent Boundary Commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the general election later this year will be fought in altered seats.

How are the boundaries changing?
Under the new rules, almost all constituencies are required to have populations within 5% of the “electoral quota” of 173,393.

This means that the number of seats in England has increased by 10 to 542, while Scotland loses two seats and Wales loses a fifth, taking it from 40 to 32. The number of seats in Northern Ireland remains unchanged. 

When it comes to England, “there are some regions that benefit, others lose”, noted election analyst Professor Michael Thrasher. Overall, there are 12 more seats in the south of England, but four fewer in the north. 

Who benefits politically?
The Conservatives - although Thrasher stressed that the boundary changes were recommended by independent commissions. 

A recent analysis of the changes, carried out by Thrasher and the political scientist Colin Rallings, shows that Labour would need a “record swing” in votes at the next election to win a majority - higher than that achieved by Blair in 1997.

You can find your new constituency using this interactive tool - and see how it would have voted in the 2019 election.

💃 Take a bow: Two New York-based Madonna fans have sued the megastar for kicking off her concert late, claiming her tardiness impacted their ability to “take care of their family responsibilities”.

🇺🇸 US election latest: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - once seen as a strong contender for the Republican nomination - has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump instead.

⚖️ Rust shooting: Alec Baldwin has been charged for a second time over the fatal shooting of producer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set in October 2021.

🌍 Cop controversy addressed: Azerbaijan has added 12 women to its Cop29 organising committee following a backlash over its original all-male line-up. 

🛫 A bumpy ride: UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester are set to miss the deadline for installing new security scanners that would end the 100ml limit on liquids.

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Trivia answer: C) Dent said she is most frequently asked about the correct pronunciation of “scone”. Do you reckon it should rhyme with “gone” or “phone”?

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