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Polling stations across the United Kingdom (UK) have opened as millions of Britons head to the polls to vote in local elections across England, Scotland and Wales.
Polls opened at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) on Thursday across Scotland, England and Wales for the local elections, which are Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s biggest electoral test since his July 2024 general election landslide victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
Around 5,000 local council seats, out of 16,000, are up for grabs across England, while in Wales and Scotland, voters will elect new devolved parliaments.
Election experts from YouGov have revealed that the majority of voters would consider voting tactically to keep a party they dislike out of power. 57% of Liberal Democrat and Green Party voters, for example, would vote Labour to stop Reform UK taking their local authority.
Some 41% of Conservative voters would back Reform UK if it were a two-horse race between the party and Labour. YouGov has predicted that Reform could even force Labour into third place there.
Opinion polls, however, predict grim results for Labour, which could amplify calls for 63-year-old Starmer to resign or face a long-rumoured party leadership challenge.
Anti-immigrant Reform UK and the left-wing Greens, led by self-described eco-populist Zack Polanski, are expected to be the main beneficiaries of widespread disillusionment.
Melanie Garson, associate professor of politics at University College London, told AFP that this is the first time there is pressure on the main political parties across councils in the UK.
“It’s a huge barometer for how the country is feeling about this political establishment. We’ve got, for the first time, significant pressure on the main political parties across every single council,” said Garson.
Polls will close at 10:00 pm on Thursday. Some results are expected overnight, but most will not come until later on Friday.
According to AFP, the Prime Minister has also failed to fulfil his main promise of spurring economic growth, with impatient Britons still suffering a cost-of-living crisis, including from high energy prices.
Garson added that Starmer’s administration has not delivered change, or that the change it has delivered has been negative.
On Thursday, Starmer posted on X that the election was between unity and division, and progress versus the politics of anger.
The Conservatives are also reportedly bracing for the loss of traditional strongholds.
“The two-party era has moved into a multi-party era,” Badenoch told news agency PA.
“But the fact is none of these new parties or Labour have a plan for the country.”
While Labour lawmakers reportedly plan to demand that Starmer set a date for his departure, the Prime Minister has insisted he will lead the party into the next general election, likely in 2029.
