Overview
- Polling stations opened at 7am Thursday and close at 10pm, with photo ID required to vote in England but not in Scotland or Wales.
- More than 5,000 seats are being contested across 136 English councils alongside six mayoral races, the full 129-seat Scottish Parliament, and an expanded 96-member Welsh Senedd, with nearly 25,000 candidates standing.
- Pre-election forecasts point to heavy Labour losses and gains for Reform UK and the Greens, increasing pressure on Starmer’s leadership if results match predictions.
- In England, 46 councils will declare overnight with most results due Friday and some on Saturday, while Scotland and Wales count during the day on Friday.
- Outcomes will shape day-to-day services like social care, waste collection, roads and local policing, and they will reset the political balance in devolved legislatures that make laws on health, education and transport.