Millions of voters are heading to the polls on Thursday for the local elections, which are set to be a nightmare for Sir Keir Starmer.
People are casting their vote for English councils, as well as the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.
Labour is expected to suffer major losses to Nigel Farage‘s Reform UK and Zack Polanski’s Green Party.
But as polls opened Kemi Badenoch lampooned her rivals in Reform UK, as she ruled out doing any deals that would enable Mr Farage’s party to take control.
She told a national paper: “I don’t want to see us helping Reform.”
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Kemi Badenoch also urges supporters to get out and vote
The Tory leader declared: “If you want to get Britain working again, vote Conservative.”
Nigel Farage insists there is still time to vote
In a fresh video message, the Reform UK leader is trying to push supporters out the door to the polling station.
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Away from the local elections for a second…
The Chinese ambassador has been summoned by the Foreign Office after two men were found guilty of spying for China on British soil, security minister Dan Jarvis has said.
Border Force official Peter Wai, 40, and retired Hong Kong police officer Bill Yuen, 65, were arrested after a failed bid to snatch a former Hong Kong resident, Monica Kwong, from her flat in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.
They were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act, following a two-month Old Bailey trial.
The court heard the dual Chinese-British nationals conducted “shadow policing” operations on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters living in the UK.
Reform standing nearly 4,800 candidates
Across the UK there are thousands of candidates standing in these elections. Labour is standing the most in England, at nearly 4,900.
Reform UK have close to 4,800, and the Conservative just over 4,700.
Meanwhile the Green Party have put up nearly 4,500 and the Liberal Democrats around 4,000.
There are more than 2,000 candidates standing for minor parties.
More dogs at polling stations
Dogs at polling stations have been a staple of local elections, here’s one them below!
Badenoch: ‘We’re not doing deals with Reform’
Kemi Badenoch has warned Conservative councils against doing any deals with Reform UK after the local elections.
Such prohibited deals include those that would block Labour from taking control of local authorities.
The Tory chief tells the Sun: “We’re not doing deals with Reform. I don’t want to see us helping Reform.”
Farage predicted to do well in London
Opinion pollsters in the leadup to today’s elections predicted a good result for Reform UK.
One London-wide opinion poll showed they could take the borough around Romford, where their latest defector Andrew Rosindell serves as an MP.
Reform UK is currently topping the opinion polls, and could hoover up seats across the country.
Man arrested on suspicion of selling Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone
A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of selling former Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone.
Scotland Yard took the suspect into police custody last Wednesday from an address in Peckham, southeast London, and he was later bailed.
Concerns had been raised that the theft, reported by Mr McSweeney last October, could result in important messages about Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador being lost.
MPs moved in February to force the Government to publish thousands of files amid questions over what was known of the peer’s links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein before he was handed the Washington job.
The man arrested last week is not suspected of involvement in the original theft and the phone has not been recovered, the Metropolitan Police said.
Starmer’s cabinet rally around his ahead of bloodbath for Labour
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden insisted on Wednesday that Sir Keir was in a “resolute” mood and triggering a leadership contest would be a mistake.
Labour Party deputy leader Lucy Powell signalled her support for Sir Keir on the eve of the elections but sidestepped questions about whether he should lead the party into the next general election.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stood by Sir Keir, describing him as a “level-headed” leader in an interview with LBC, adding “the last thing that people will want is the Labour Party turning in on ourselves”.
Peter Mandelson votes in local elections
Peter Mandelson goes to vote at the local council elections into London.
The most recent scandal leading to calls for Sir Keir Sarmer to resign was over his decision to appoint the disgraced peer as US ambassador.
Ed Davey ‘very positive’ as he goes to vote
Sir Ed Davey said he is feeling “very, very positive” as he went to cast his ballot in the local elections at Surbiton Hill Methodist Church in south-west London.
He also told reporters that a good result for the Liberal Democrats will mean “lots of gains”, as he arrived arm in arm with his wife, Emily on Thursday.
When asked if he was worried about the Green Party, Sir Ed said: “We are worried about can we win even more? We are on the up.”
The Liberal Democrats leader smiled as he waved at a passer-by outside the polling station before stopping to shake hands with a member of the public.
When asked by reporters if he was excited, he said: “I’m always excited on election day.”
Scottish Parliament results expected late on Friday
A total of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament are up for grabs, with voters electing 73 constituency representatives and a further 56 MSPs via eight regional lists.
Unlike previous elections – other than 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic – votes will be counted on Friday rather than overnight, with the final result likely to be known by late Friday evening.
Campaigners have spent the past six weeks traversing the country in the hopes of winning the keys to Bute House.
Starmer puts arch-remainer up for Knighthood
Sir Keir Starmer has nominated the pro-remain former MP David Gauke for a knighthood in the next honours list.
Mr Gauke, who stood against the Conservative Party in 2019 after leaving the party over his objections to the vote for Brexit.
The Conservative Party reacted with fury saying that Kemi Badenoch would never have nominated him for a knighthood and was “livid” with the move.
“Starmer even snuck it through a random honours committee to stop Kemi vetoing it,” a spokesman said, adding that Mr Gauke was “doing Labour’s bidding on sentencing and bagged himself a knighthood.”
Survey shows the Green Party is not widely associated with antisemitism
Nearly two-thirds of the population believe antisemitism is a serious challenge – but the Green Party is not viewed as having the biggest problem on the issue, a poll suggests.
A YouGov survey in the aftermath of the Golders Green stabbing showed 63% of Britons believe prejudice against Jews is a major or significant concern, with the views of Green voters broadly in line with supporters of other parties and voters overall.
Sir Keir Starmer has called for a “whole of society” response to rising antisemitism in the wake of the Golders Green stabbings.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar with his family
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (second left) with family Adam (left), Aliyan (third left), and wife Furheen (right), leaving after casting his his vote for the Holyrood elections at Pollokshields Burgh Hall in Glasgow.
SNP leader John Swinney has voted
SNP leader John Swinney has cast his vote for the Holyrood elections.
Mr Swinney voted in Burrelton in Blairgowrie with his wife Elizabeth by his side.
Farage brands PM ‘unpatriotic’
Nigel Farage has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer, branding the Prime Minister “gutless” and suggesting that the Conservative Party had failed to remove him from office.
He accused the Prime Minister of being “unpatriotic”, in his last message to voters ahead of the election.
He added: “Reform made history and won the local elections last year. If you really want change, go out and vote for it again today.”
Polanski: ‘We win more councillors than ever before’
Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, has said that he will lead his party to “record-breaking local elections” and “win more councillors than ever before”.
In his message to voters today he said that the Greens were “confident – but not complacent – of a historic breakthrough” in the Welsh election.
Mr Polanski is in Cardiff today supporting his team there.
He added: “Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes. It’s a message that has been received positively on the doorstep, but now we have to turn that warm sentiment into hard-won votes at the ballot box.”
Davey: Voters should go with ‘hard-working local champions’
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on voters to opt for “hard-working local champions”.
He added: “We have less than 24 hours to stop Reform and defend the country we love from Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics.
“We’ve now seen what Reform looks like in power – banning journalists, scrapping renewables, closing care homes and raising council tax despite their promises. Our communities can’t afford that chaos.
“Across the country, from Hampshire to Hull, the battle is now between the Liberal Democrats and Reform. We are the ones taking the fight to them and standing up for decency, tolerance and the rule of law.”
Badenoch: Tories only party with a plan
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party is the only one “with the plan, the team and the backbone to deliver a stronger economy and stronger country”.
She added: “Under my leadership the Conservative Party has changed. We know where we went wrong and we’re fixing it.
“The next Conservative government will deliver cheaper energy bills, take back our streets with 10,000 more police officers, cut business rates for the high street, end the war on motorists, and abolish stamp duty on the family home.”
Brexit fury erupts as Keir Starmer plots closer ties to EU after bruising local election
Keir Starmer is set to announce closer ties to the EU as part of his plan to save his premiership after bruising local elections.
The Prime Minister’s latest unpicking of Brexit will be his fresh attempts to fend off a leadership challenge after Thursday’s vote.
Voters bring their dogs to Holyrood election stations
We have out first pup at a polling station!
Rory waits patiently next to a sign outside the polling station at St James Church hall in Inverleith, Edinburgh, as voters start to cast their votes in the 2026 Holyrood elections.
Keir Starmer votes in local elections
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer have arrived to cast their votes in the local elections at Westminster Chapel in central London.
He did not respond when asked by reporters how he was feeling and if he would resign if the Labour Party performs poorly, as some projections have forecast.
The Prime Minister is said to be planning a “policy blitz” following the elections, with reports suggesting this could include closer relations with the European Union.
‘Vote for change’, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says
Mr Farage has urged his supporters to “continue the journey of getting our great country back on track.”
At the last round of local elections, the Reform UK leader said that his party had “made history” and urged people to “go out and vote” if they wanted change again this year.
In last year’s local council elections, Reform won 677 seats and increased its vote share by 28%.
Farage: ‘Vote Reform to remove gutless Starmer’
Nigel Farage has instead urged people to back his insurgent political party, Reform UK, which is widely predicted to be on track for a good night.
He has long framed the election as a referendum on Sir Keir Starmer, and last night called on people to support his party to remove the “gutless” Prime Minister from office.
Reform UK is predicted to pick up hundreds of seats, having topped the opinion polls for months.
Badenoch: ‘We have a plan’
Mrs Badenoch’s party is defending thousands of council seats across the country, and polling suggests it may be a tough set of elections for her.
But she has insisted the party has “changed” since she became leader, and urged people to back the Tories to end the “chaos […] that Labour, Reform and the rest have to offer.”
She added: “We are the only party with the plan, the team and the backbone to deliver a stronger economy and stronger country.”
Badenoch: ‘Vote Tory for lower taxes and to end Labour chaos’
Kemi Badenoch has urged people to vote Conservative to ensure lower taxes at local council level. In a late-night message before the polls opened, she called on voters to back her party and said that doing so would mean a council that “delivers better services and lower taxes”.
The Conservatives are predicted to have a tough election, as the councils up for grabs were last facing the ballot box in the middle of the so-called ‘Boris bounce’, a period when the Tories were polling extremely well in 2022.
Party bosses issue last-minute plea to voters
Party leaders have issued a last-minute rallying cry to voters ahead of today’s elections. Kemi Badenoch, Sir Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage, Zack Polanski and Ed Davey are all leading their parties into what could be a decisive set of elections.
Last-minute messages are normally intended to drive ‘voter turnout’ – when parties try and encourage their support base to get the polls and vote.
Labour MPs set to try oust Starmer in wake of results
MPs are reportedly moving to oust the Prime Minister in the wake of the results.
Backbenchers from the 2024 intake are plotting to write a missive blaming the Prime Minister for expected losses at the polls and asking him to set a date for his departure.
The move would echo the drafting of a round-robin letter by normally loyal Labour MPs calling for Sir Tony Blair to step down in September 2006.
Sir Keir has already faced calls to resign over his decision to appoint disgraced peer Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
He has also faced criticism over his numerous U-turns, including on the two-child benefit tax, inheritance tax changes for farmers, and a grooming gangs inquiry.
Keir Starmer bracing for bloodbath with loss of over 1,000 seats
Some 1,850 Labour seats are expected to be lost in councils across England, according to polling guru Lord Robert Hayward.
Labour’s prospects look equally painful in Wales where the governing party is set to lose the national vote for the first time in more than a century.
The Prime Minister has acknowledged the elections will be “a challenge” but in a final plea to voters he urged them to “choose unity over division”.
First results expected around 1am Friday
Reform’s hopes of crowding out Labour and the Conservatives get an early stress test at 1am on Friday. The once red/blue battleground of Harlow will be a good indicator for how badly Reform is squeezing the Tories in their Essex heartland.
Meanwhile Labour‑dominated Halton will not change hands but will indicate how well the party holds up under Reform pressure in the northwest.
Party leaders head to the polls from 10am
We’re expecting to see party leaders begin casting their votes later thi morning.
Nigel Farage is in Clacton at 10am. Zack Polanski will be with the Welsh Green leader in Cardiff at 10am. Tory chief Kemi Badenoch is in Essex mid-morning while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is in Kingston at midday.
Labour leader Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will vote but timing and location have not been announced.
What votes are up for grabs today?
Tens of millions of voters will choose more than 5,000 English councillors in 136 councils, including all 32 London boroughs; six mayors in England; all 129 members of the Scottish Parliament; and all 96 members of an expanded Welsh parliament, the Senedd.
Take photo ID to vote in local elections
You need photo ID to vote on Thursday.
You can find a full list of acceptable options of the Electoral Commission’s page here.
No cute dogs at polling stations yet…
We’re hoping to bring you cute dogs at polling stations soon but until then, here is a snap from Dulverton Primary School, in the London Borough of Bexley, where the frst few voters have begun streaming in to cast their ballot.
Polls open! Millions across England, Scotland and Wales head to polls
It’s just gone 7am when polls across the country opened! Million will be flocking to polling stations until 10pm to cast their ballot in local election in England.
Millions in Wales will be voting in Senedd elections while Scotland is also having Scottish parliamentary elections.