Voting has officially closed at polling stations across the country and the government awaits the results of the make-or-break local elections.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest test of his premiership after millions of voters headed to the polls on Thursday for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, as well as for local councils across England.
The prime minister could potentially lose hundreds of council seats, as well as Labour’s dominance in the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, in the biggest test of public opinion since the general election in 2024.
The latest YouGov poll from Wednesday shows that Labour’s 27-year rule in Wales is set to end, with the party predicted to fall to third place, with Plaid Cymru taking the lead and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK coming in second.
Ballot papers in Scotland and Wales will be counted during the daytime on Friday, with the first results expected in the early afternoon and the final declarations due in the evening.
In England, 46 of the 136 local authorities holding elections will count and declare overnight, while the majority of the remaining authorities will not begin counting until Friday morning.
