- Written by Paul Seddon
- political reporter
Almost all results are in for parliamentary elections across England, the last big test of public opinion before the general election.
Only five out of 107 city councils have yet to announce their results, and four out of ten local mayoral elections have also been decided.
The remaining elections, including the West Midlands and London mayoral races, will be announced later on Saturday.
Key takeaways from the results so far include:
Workers' march continues
Labor won more than 170 seats and took control of eight councils, including Milton Keynes and Nuneaton, traditional general election flagships.
In key constituencies identified by the BBC, vote share increased by 3% compared to 2021, when most seats were last contested.
However, because the characteristics of independent voters are more pronounced in local votes, these results are only partially useful in understanding the national image.
Scotland and Northern Ireland also held no elections, while in Wales only the police and crime commissioners were elected.
The best result was probably the Blackpool South by-election, held in parallel with the local election, where it won by a 26% margin over the Conservatives. This is in line with national opinion polls that suggest Sir Keir Starmer is headed for a landslide victory whenever this year's general election is called.
Conservative party in decline
It was a bad night for Rishi Sunak, with his party losing nearly 450 MPs, around half of the seats it had defended.
The Tories lost control of 10 councils, including Basildon in Essex, which had achieved symbolic Tory status under Margaret Thatcher, as they won in working-class areas that traditionally voted Labour. .
But despite the dismal results, there are signs that critics within the prime minister's ranks are refraining from challenging his leadership.
Mr Sunak is clinging on to the Tees Valley, where incumbent Conservative Ben Houchen won a third term as local mayor, proof that the Conservatives still have a chance in the general election.
He also hopes fellow Conservative incumbent Andy Street will survive the West Midlands mayoral election.
Mayors' Red Dawn
Labor has continued its success in this area in recent years, winning three newly created local leader positions.
The victory in York and North Yorkshire was also a PR coup for the party, as the region includes Rishi Sunak's constituency.
The results of the remaining six mayoral elections are due to be announced on Saturday, including the City of London, where Sadiq Khan is seeking to secure a third term against Conservative opponent Susan Hall. .
Gaza stance influences Labor vote
Labor suffered heavy losses in wards with large Muslim voters, showing that its stance on the Israel-Gaza war is influencing votes in these areas.
In wards where more than one in 10 residents identify as Muslim, the party's vote share is on average 11% lower than last year.
However, there is also evidence that the biggest declines in support were primarily confined to wards where the party's support was already very strong.
George Galloway's pro-Palestinian British Labor Party won four seats – two in Rochdale, one in Calderdale and one in Manchester – where it ousted Rusfer Rahman, Labor deputy leader.
Greens and Liberal Democrats benefit
It was a good night for smaller parties, with the Liberal Democrats and Greens winning parliamentary seats in areas they targeted in the general election.
The Liberal Democrats have so far gained 101 MPs, with wins in Tunbridge Wells and Dorset.
They failed to capture their target areas of West Oxfordshire and Wokingham.
The Green Party has so far won more than 60 seats, including 10 on Bristol City Council, where it narrowly missed out on a majority in the general election.
The party increased its vote share in areas with large Muslim populations and areas with large student populations.
Mixed bag for renovation UK
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice's party won 16.9% of the vote in Blackpool South, finishing third, just 117 votes behind the Conservative candidate.
This was the best result ever for a Westminster by-election, but it fell short of the 28.9% it won in Peterborough in 2019 under the name of the former Brexit Party.
The vote share suggests that around two-thirds of Conservative votes may have gone to Labor, while around one-third went to the Reform Party, with the Conservatives Election strategists may be concerned about this.
However, the party has so far only won two parliamentary seats in Havant, near Portsmouth.
But assessing the party's performance here is more difficult. This is because there are only a little over 326 candidates running in 316 wards, which is a very small number.
Voter ID dispute
Boris Johnson hit the headlines after he was refused entry to his local polling station because he forgot his voter card.
Former prime ministers, whose government introduced the rules, were then able to vote once they returned home with the proper documents.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said he tried to use a copy of Prospect magazine as identification, but was turned away by local election officials.
Mr. Johnson writes: “To the three villagers who rightfully turned me away when I showed up at the polls on Thursday with no identification other than the cover of the Prospect magazine with my name on it. I would especially like to pay my respects.'' And the address was also printed.
“I showed it to them and they looked very suspicious… Within minutes I was back with my driving license and voted Conservative.”
The government also confirmed that it intends to add veterans cards to the list of acceptable forms of identification after some ex-servicemen were rejected at polling stations.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Tom Hunt said he lost his passport due to mobility issues and had to arrange an emergency proxy vote.