.svg)
Voters across England, Scotland and Wales have begun casting their ballots in a major round of local, mayoral and parliamentary elections that are being viewed as the biggest political challenge yet for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government since the 2024 general election.
Millions of people headed to polling stations on Thursday in contests that could reshape the political landscape across Great Britain. The elections are expected to provide an early indication of public sentiment toward the country’s increasingly competitive multiparty system, with smaller parties continuing to gain momentum alongside Labour and the Conservatives.
Political analysts and party leaders are closely monitoring the results as both Labour and the Conservatives have experienced declining support in recent opinion polls. Meanwhile, parties such as Reform UK, the Green Party of England and Wales and the Liberal Democrats have continued to attract growing numbers of voters.
The elections include contests for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd, along with local elections in 136 councils across England. More than 5,000 council seats are being contested, including all seats in London’s 32 borough councils as well as a range of county, district and unitary authorities throughout England.
Six mayoral races are also taking place in key areas including Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Watford.
Polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm, with the first local election results expected shortly after midnight on Friday. A large number of declarations are anticipated during the early hours of Friday morning, while some of the most closely watched results — including mayoral outcomes and major council races in cities such as Manchester and Leeds — are expected later in the day.
Several councils, including Tower Hamlets and Croydon, are not expected to announce final results until Saturday afternoon.
In Scotland, voters are electing 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament to Holyrood, where devolved issues such as healthcare, education and transport are decided. Matters including immigration, defence and foreign affairs remain under the control of Westminster.
At the previous Scottish Parliament election in 2021, the Scottish National Party secured 64 seats, narrowly missing an outright majority. The Scottish Conservatives finished second, while Scottish Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats also maintained representation.
Meanwhile in Wales, voters are choosing 96 representatives for the Senedd under a newly introduced proportional voting system. Under the updated rules, voters will support political parties rather than individual candidates, with seats distributed according to each party’s share of the vote within constituencies.
The elections are expected to provide a crucial snapshot of the political mood across Britain and could significantly influence party strategies ahead of the next UK general election.
.jpg)
.jpg)
