London got a new mayor today so say goodbye to Boris Johnson and welcome Sadiq Khan, Labour’s entry in the race, after he defeated Conservative Zac Goldsmith. Provisional results, which have been 99.9% verified, state that Khan took 44% of the vote, with Goldsmith on 35%. The Green Party received 6%, Lib Dems 5% and UKIP 4%. The Women's Equality Party, their first time participating in the mayoral election, received 2%.
But how could this shake up at City Hall affect your life if you live in London?
Well, it all sounds quite promising. Khan, the city’s first Muslim mayor, is a “proud feminist” who has pledged to help close the gender pay gap and “help women smash the glass ceiling”. He also told Stylist that he wants to make childcare more affordable.
The father of two daughters, he has a zero tolerance approach to domestic and sexual violence and wants a bigger police presence on buses and the Tube in order to combat sexual assault, a rising issue in the capital.
As for the housing crisis, one of the hot topics in the lead up to the election, Khan wants to tackle it by building affordable housing and he says he is “striving” towards fairer rent, a move that will be welcomed by pretty much everyone.
As for those who were fed up with their public transport fares increasing year on year, they will be pleased to hear Khan has pledged a four year freeze on fares so your travel card should cost the same in 2020 as it does today.
Boris, with his bikes and zip wire mishaps, has left quite the legacy. Let’s see what mark Khan can make on the capital.