Polls opened across the UK on Thursday as voters decide a wide range of local councils, several mayoralties and the devolved parliaments in Scotland (Holyrood) and Wales (the Senedd). Around 5,000 council seats across 136 councils and six mayoral contests are being contested. While local authorities administer services such as rubbish collection and road repairs, many electors treat these ballots as a midterm judgement on the national government and the prime minister.
Pre-election polling and analyst forecasts point to gains for the far‑right Reform party and the Greens, with the governing Labour Party facing significant losses. Those setbacks would add pressure to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose party’s position in opinion polls has weakened since its commanding general election victory in July 2024.
Where losses are expected
Forecasters expect particularly poor results for Labour in Wales, where it has been the dominant party since devolution, and in Scotland, where nationalist parties including the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru could increase their representation.
Timings
Polling stations opened at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) and will close at 22:00. Most results are expected to come in by Friday afternoon.
Why this matters for Starmer
Despite holding a large parliamentary majority, Starmer has faced falling ratings and internal tensions. He narrowly survived party pressure in February after controversy over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, which followed revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files about Mandelson’s past links to Epstein. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly urged Starmer to resign at the time. Although Starmer remained in post, a poor showing in these local and regional votes could revive challenges to his leadership.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko