Follow the Politics Hub for all the latest updates as the results come in. A special programme hosted by Jonathan Samuels will begin at midnight, with more coverage over the weekend as results continue to come in.
Vote counting is under way after polls closed in local elections taking place across England and Wales.
More than 2,600 council seats across 107 councils are up for grabs in England, alongside 11 mayoral elections, a parliamentary seat and police and crime commissioners throughout England and Wales.
UAE Breaking News will report the results overnight from midnight until the weekend in a special broadcast by Jonathan Samuels.
The results, which will be announced in the coming hours and days, will be an indicator of public opinion towards the political parties as Britain heads into a general election.
Labor is hoping to gain support across the country, while the Conservatives are trailing the opposition by about 20 points in opinion polls and want to limit their losses.
Particular attention will be given to the mayoral elections in the West Midlands and Tees Valley. The Redwall seats were won by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party with mayors Andy Street and Lord Ben Houchen respectively.
A defeat there could be difficult for Chancellor Rishi Sunak. There are rumors that if both sides get red flags, it could spark a leadership battle.
Labor’s Sadiq Khan is seeking a third term as London Mayor. He is running against Conservative Party candidate Susan Hall and is setting a record. There are also 25 seats up for grabs in the London Assembly.
Other mayoral elections will be held in the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York and North Yorkshire. Salford’s mayoral election will also be held.
A parliamentary by-election is being held in south Blackpool to replace former Conservative MP Scott Benton, who left parliament following a lobbying scandal.
The Conservatives maintain a majority of 3,690 votes, which is far fewer than some of the votes Labor has flipped in recent years.
A total of 37 Police Commissioners and Crime Commissioners are elected in England and Wales, but two of the PCC roles in South Yorkshire and York & North Yorkshire are the responsibility of the Mayor.
Former Conservative chancellor George Osborne said on the Political Currency podcast that losing the West Midlands would be “pretty bad” for Mr Sunak and that losing the Tees Valley would be “Armageddon”. He said it would happen.
“Some Conservatives will say, ‘Change your course, change your leader,'” he added, adding: “Twenty years ago the future of the Conservative leadership would have been unimaginable. ” he added. About how people are doing.” But I think that’s the case at this point.
The last time local elections were held, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a huge lead in the polls following the success of the vaccine rollout, giving his party its best local election result since 2008.
Transport Minister Mark Harper said: “Achieving this is difficult.”
Asked if this was an acknowledgement that the party had been less popular under Mr Sunak than under Mr Johnson, Mr Harper said the party’s popularity had increased in 2021 thanks to a “vaccine boom” and recovery from the pandemic – he was then “the prime minister who raised the money for the vaccine rollout”.
Last year’s local elections in various regions saw Labor pick up key battlegrounds from the Conservatives, but not at a pace that suggested the opposition was on track for victory in the general election. .
This key indicator, known as the National Equal Vote (NEV), will be tracked over the weekend by UAE Breaking News election analyst Professor Michael Thrasher.
Asked what success would look like, Labour’s Pat McFadden, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the party was considering a Blackpool South by-election, adding: “Rishi Sunak “This is the only outcome that he and the government are really working towards in the election.” Hold up your ballot.
A win there would show “real progress,” McFadden said.
Asked about the party’s prospects in the Tees Valley and West Midlands, the veteran Labor MP said the Conservatives were “just holding out because they want to distance themselves as much as possible from Rishi Sunak and the Tory brand building the party.” It will happen,” he said. ”
How many seats/parliamentary do each party hold?
The Conservatives hold 985 seats, Labor hold 965 and the Liberal Democrats hold 410.
The Green Party holds 107 seats, the Independence Party holds 112 seats and other parties hold the remaining 57 seats.
Labor now has a majority in 45 of the 107 parliaments. The Conservatives control 18 seats and the Liberal Democrats 10.
Thirty-four councils, almost a third, are not subject to overall control.
Key battlegrounds
When it comes to councils, areas to watch out for include Hyndburn, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Tamworth, Reigate and Banstead, Hull, Walsall, Colchester, Stockport, Sheffield, Solihull, North East Lincolnshire, Lincoln, Peterborough, Rugby and Thurrock.
UAE Breaking News and YouGov asked around 9,000 people how they intend to vote, and used this to forecast how these will change.
Labour looks set to make a number of gains – although some races are too close to call.