‘Phenomenal’ West Midlands win was beyond our expectations, says Starmer

Richard Parker’s “phenomenal” victory in the West Midlands mayoral election was beyond the Labour Party’s expectations, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Mr Parker ousted Andy Street, the Tory incumbent, by 1,508 votes in a further blow to Rishi Sunak following a weekend of disappointing .

Labour declared victory shortly before Sandwell confirmed its result in a contest that went down to the wire. Mr Parker secured a total of 225,590 votes across the West Midlands Combined Authority, while Mr Street won 224,082.

Sir Keir said after the result: “This phenomenal result was beyond our expectations. People across the country have had enough of Conservative chaos and decline and voted for change with Labour. Our fantastic new mayor Richard Parker stands ready to deliver a fresh start for the West Midlands.

“My changed Labour party is back in the service of working people, and stands ready to govern. Labour will turn the page after fourteen years of Tory decline and usher in a decade of national renewal. That change starts today.”

In his acceptance speech, Mr Parker hailed Andy Street for having “led this region through a number of challenges”, telling him “you deserve great credit for that”.

He added: “You deserve credit for building up the Combined Authority into the powerhouse it is today, through the economic shocks and leading this region through Covid... I absolutely believe that while our politics are different, Andy, we both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart.”

The new mayor then became visibly emotional as he thanked his wife and family for supporting him and “being there when I haven’t been there”, before urging Mr Sunak to call a general election.

The West Midlands mayor since 2017, Mr Street hoped his personal popularity, which far outstripped that of the Conservative Party and the Prime Minister, would have been enough to defy the party’s poor local and mayoral election performances.

Meanwhile Reform UK picked up more than 30,000 votes, helping to eat away at what was already a slim Tory majority, while Labour also shed tens of thousands of votes to a pro-Palestinian independent candidate in a foretaste of their own potential difficulties come the general election.

You can recap how Saturday unfolded below and join the conversation in the comments section here. 

09:25 PM BST

That’s all for tonight...

Thank you for joining The Telegraph’s coverage of a dramatic day across the country as the Conservatives slumped to a significant defeat to Labour in the West Midlands mayoral election, a further blow to Rishi Sunak.

My colleague Jack Maidment will be back on Tuesday to guide you through what is likely to be a dramatic week.

09:07 PM BST

Keir Starmer: ‘This phenomenal result was beyond our expectations’

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said: “This phenomenal result was beyond our expectations. People across the country have had enough of Conservative chaos and decline and voted for change with Labour. Our fantastic new mayor Richard Parker stands ready to deliver a fresh start for the West Midlands.

“My changed Labour party is back in the service of working people, and stands ready to govern. Labour will turn the page after fourteen years of Tory decline and usher in a decade of national renewal. That change starts today.”

09:04 PM BST

Andy Street: Thank you and goodnight

Andy Street, the defeated Tory mayoral candidate, said he was “sorry we couldn’t make it a triple hat-trick” as he thanked his Conservative team and everybody who voted for him on Thursday.

“In the end it was not to be but that doesn’t mean I appreciate that trust any less.

“It has of course been my honour to serve and to lead this place for the last seven years. I hope I’ve done it with dignity, and integrity, and I hope I’ve bequeathed to Richard [Parker] a Combined Authority and indeed a role to which young, aspiring leaders will want to aspire one day.

“In a sense, I could have done no more. It has been a great privilege, but for now I want to say thank you and goodnight.”

09:01 PM BST

Richard Parker thanks Andy Street: ‘We both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart’

Richard Parker, Labour’s newly-elected West Midlands Mayor, told the count “thank you, first and foremost thank you”.

He hailed Andy Street for having “led this region through a number of challenges, and you deserve great credit for that”, adding: “You deserve credit for building up the Combined Authority into the powerhouse it is today, through the economic shocks and leading this region through Covid... I absolutely believe that while our politics are different, Andy, we both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart.”

Mr Parker became visibly emotional as he thanked his wife and family for supporting him and “being there when I haven’t been there”.

“This is the most important thing I will ever do. This week people here voted for the person and the party. They recognised that a Labour mayor can make a positive difference in this region. Thank you. You have put your trust in me and I will repay that trust. I will deliver for you and your family... We will give this region the fresh start it richly deserves.

“Let me be really clear. I will work with the council leader across the Combined Authority to make this region a roaring success again. I will support them, I will defend them and I will stand up for this region in the face of unprecedented Tory cuts. I will also stand up for the people who didn’t vote for me. This means so much for our region, but it also means so much to our country.

“People are looking once again at our party and asking us to govern. Up and down the country people are looking for a fresh start. I hope the Prime Minister is watching tonight as well because in case you haven’t heard Rishi Sunak our people are calling for a general election. I will get this region’s future back, and I believe a Labour mayor working with a Labour government will help get Britain’s future back.”

08:56 PM BST

Rapturous applause for Richard Parker

Labour activists in Birmingham are absolutely delighted by confirmation Richard Parker has beaten Andy Street and ousted the Tory incumbent to win the West Midlands mayoralty.

Supporters of Mr Street could be heard chanting “Andy! Andy! Andy!” in an attempt to get spirits up.

The Reform UK candidates picked up 34,471 votes, while Ahmed Yakoob, an independent pro-Palestinian candidate, won 69,621.

08:54 PM BST

It was Sandwell that won it for Labour

The result was determined by the final count in Sandwell, where Richard Parker secured 31,561 votes to Andy Street’s 18,598.

08:53 PM BST

Street loses West Midlands mayoral race by 1,508 votes

Andy Street has failed to be re-elected as the West Midlands Mayor after losing to Labour’s Richard Parker by 1,508 votes in a crushing blow to Rishi Sunak.

Senior Labour sources declared victory shortly before Sandwell confirmed its result in a contest that went down to the wire.

Mr Parker secured a total of 225,590 votes across the West Midlands Combined Authority, while Mr Street won 224,082.

Mr Street had hoped his personal popularity, which far outstripped that of the Conservative Party or Mr Sunak, would be enough to defy the party’s poor local and mayoral election performances.

But it was not to be as Reform UK picked up more than 30,000 votes, eating away at what was already a slim Tory majority, while Labour also shed tens of thousands of votes to a pro-Palestinian independent candidate in a foretaste of their own potential difficulties come the general election.

08:41 PM BST

Rachel Reeves congratulates Richard Parker

08:36 PM BST

Lib Dem councillors outnumber Tories for first time since 1996

The Liberal Democrats have won more council seats than the Conservatives for the first time since 1996.

With 106 of 107 councils declared by Saturday night, the Lib Dems had 521 councillors in England – a gain of 104 – compared to 513 for the Tories, a loss of 473. The Lib Dems winning more councillors than the Tories had only happened once before.

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, hailed the news, saying: “Up and down the country, Conservative MPs will be looking over their shoulder, terrified of the Liberal Democrats who have won more seats than them in this election.

“This was the final test before the general election, and it’s clear Conservative MPs are on notice. We’ve moved forward in Blue Wall battlegrounds, and we’ve seen a real collapse in support for Rishi Sunak and his out-of-touch Government.

“The choice for millions of people at the general election is clear – they can get a fair deal with the Liberal Democrats or have four more years of Conservative chaos.”

Will Hazell, our Political Correspondent, has the full story here

08:24 PM BST

John Curtice: No 10 will be ‘bitterly disappointed’

Downing Street will be “bitterly disappointed” with Andy Street’s defeat, Britain’s foremost polling guru has said.

Professor Sir John Curtice said No 10 now had “very, very little” to “hang on to” to convince Conservative MPs that “things are not so bad”.

Commenting on the West Midlands contest, he told the BBC: “To be honest our judgment up here is that also given what we’ve seen in the pattern of results that that target [in Sandwell] should be one that Labour should achieve... Labour’s claim [to have won] does seem to make sense”.

Sir John said Labour winning the West Midlands provided “the big climactic end” to the local election results and that it would disappoint the Tories who had been “banking on winning in order to dispel the electoral gloom” hanging over the party.

08:23 PM BST

A significant blow for Rishi Sunak

Conservative rebels intent on ousting Rishi Sunak from Downing Street before the next general election called off the dogs on Friday after Lord Houchen triumphed in the Tees Valley mayoral race.

But they may wonder whether they spoke too soon as Andy Street appears to have lost in the West Midlands.

Much like Tees Valley, the West Midlands Combined Authority contest was touted as a contest that was supposed to be a silver lining for Downing Street amid poor performances at this year’s local and mayoral elections.

The prospects of Tory backbenchers moving against Mr Sunak appear slimmer than ever. But losing Mr Street, a popular mayor whose popularity far outstripped that of his party, is nonetheless a major blow for the Prime Minister tonight.

08:12 PM BST

‘People have voted for change and the message is clear’

Ellie Reeves, Labour’s deputy national campaign coordinator, has tweeted to congratulate Richard Parker on his victory in the West Midlands mayoral race.

“Right across the country people have voted for change and the message is clear,” Ms Reeves said.

“It’s time for a General Election and a Labour government to get our country’s future back.”

08:09 PM BST

Sir Keir Starmer: Londoners voted for ‘delivery over headlines’

08:08 PM BST

Galloway: Our support is growing exponentially

George Galloway, leader of the Workers Party of Britain, said: “Akhmed Yakoob, backed by the Workers Party, prevented a Labour landslide in the West Midlands and sent a strong message to Labour that they will not go unchallenged after their betrayals under Sir Keir Starmer.

“Polls put Akhmed at just 3 per cent. The BBC excluded him from their debate. He’s achieved over 11 per cent of the vote.

“Our support is growing exponentially, no matter how much the media try and ignore us, and we will be the challenge to Starmer’s Labour at every turn.”

08:04 PM BST

Conservative Campaign Headquarters concedes

Conservative Campaign Headquarters has conceded defeat for Andy Street in the West Midlands mayoral race.

08:00 PM BST

Breaking: Labour declares victory in West Midlands

Labour has declared victory in the West Midlands mayoral race, with Richard Parker expected to oust Tory incumbent Andy Street.

Senior Labour sources declared victory shortly befoer Sandwell declares its result with the contest poised to go down to the wire.

07:53 PM BST

Liam Byrne tweets photograph with Richard Parker

Mr Byrne, a Labour MP, came second to Andy Street in the 2021 West Midlands mayoral race.

07:46 PM BST

Now we wait

All eyes are now on Sandwell in the race between Andy Street and Richard Parker.

07:30 PM BST

Andrew Mitchell: Street ‘winning or nearly winning’ is extraordinary

The Deputy Foreign Secretary has said Andy Street “winning or nearly winning” would be an extraordinary result for the Conservatives.

Andrew Mitchell told reporters: “I don’t know what the result is, but what I am saying is that the fact he has either won or nearly won is an extraordinary result for the Conservative Party.

“This is an area of the country where Labour has to win and win big to get elected.”

07:21 PM BST

Andy Street leads by just 2.2 per cent

Andy Street is currently on 38.7 per cent of the vote and Andy Street 36.5 per cent.

Sandwell is still set to declare how it has voted.

07:20 PM BST

Labour wins in Coventry as West Midlands race goes to the wire

Labour have won by nearly 10,000 votes in Coventry.

The party’s candidate Richard Parker secured 32,704 votes to incumbent Andy Street’s 23,237.

It compares to 32,358 and 31,380 first preferences received by Labour and the Tories in 2021, respectively.

07:15 PM BST

Coventry about to declare in West Midlands mayoral race

I’m hearing Coventry is about to declare following a recount in this extremely tense West Midlands race.

After that, six out of seven councils will have announced their results - with just Sandwell to go.

07:01 PM BST

The state of things in the West Midlands

The West Midlands mayoral race is on a knife-edge with just two out of seven areas left to declare.

Andy Street, the Conservative incumbent, currently leads his Labour rival Richard Parker by 20,652 votes after results came back for Solihull, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Walsall and Dudley.

As things stand Mr Street has secured 39.5 per cent of the vote to Mr Parker’s 35 per cent.

But Sandwell and Coventry are still yet to declare their results and the Coventry ballot has gone to a recount.

06:53 PM BST

‘Down with fascism, up with Ceefax’

London mayoral candidate Count Binface said “down with fascism, up with Ceefax” after discovering he had beaten Nick Scanlon, the Britain First candidate.

He told reporters at City Hall: “It looks like I have defeated Britain First in an election.

“Come on, you have to cheer about that...down with fascism, up with Ceefax, what can I say?”

06:32 PM BST

How the West Midlands has voted so far

Solihull

Andy Street (Con) 35,289, Richard Parker (Lab) 11,728

Wolverhampton

Andy Street (Con) 18,582, Richard Parker (Lab) 26,442

Birmingham

Andy Street (Con) 66,296, Richard Parker (Lab) 80,251

Walsall

Andy Street (Con) 24,735, Richard Parker (Lab) 18,097

Dudley

Andy Street (Con) 37,345, Richard Parker (Lab) 24,807

06:15 PM BST

Andy Street wins in Dudley - but with a swing to Labour

Andy Street has also won in Dudley, again with fewer votes than he received in 2021.

The Conservative candidate received 37,345 votes, while Richard Parker secured 24,807.

It compares to the 50,787 and 21,940 first preferences the Tories and Labour won last time round, respectively.

That means five out of seven areas have now declared, with 182,247 votes for Andy Street (39.5 per cent) and 161,595 votes for Richard Parker (35 per cent).

06:08 PM BST

James Cleverly: Susan Hall stood strong despite ‘vitriolic and personal attacks’

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, thanked Susan Hall for “standing and campaigning so passionately” as she attempted to oust Sadiq Khan on behalf of the Conservatives.

Mr Cleverly said Ms Hall was never brought down by “vitriolic and personal attacks”.

06:06 PM BST

Sadiq Khan: I’ll work relentlessly towards a fairer, safer, greener London

06:01 PM BST

Pro-Palestine candidate hits Labour hard in Birmingham

The Birmingham results show the gap has closed between Labour and the Tories, while pro-Palestine independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob secured nearly 20 per cent of the vote.

In 2021, Labour received 48.2 per cent of first preference votes, while the Conservatives received 39.9 per cent, putting Labour just over 8 points ahead.

This time, Richard Parker got 37.1 per cent, while incumbent Andy Street secured 30.6 per cent, giving Labour a slightly reduced lead of 6.5 points.

05:59 PM BST

How the London mayoral result breaks down

Here is the data behind Sadiq Khan’s historic third-term triumph:

05:41 PM BST

Labour wins in Birmingham

Labour’s mayoral candidate Richard Parker has won in Birmingham, writes our Political Correspondent Amy Gibbons.

Mr Parker secured 80,251 votes to Tory incumbent Andy Street’s 66,296.

At the previous mayoral race in 2021, Liam Byrne won 102,276 votes to Mr Street’s 84,817.

05:30 PM BST

Susan Hall: Sadiq must do better governing London

Susan Hall, the unsuccessful Tory candidate, congratulated Sadiq Khan on his victory.

“Spending a year campaigning on this election has been an honour and a privilege. I have loved speaking to Londoners about the things that matter to them. The thing that matters to them most, and to me, is reforming the Met and making London safe again. I hope Sadiq makes this his top priority. He owes it to the families of those thousand people who have lost lives to knife crime under his mayoralty.

“And I hope too that he stops patronising people like me who care. This isn’t an episode of The Wire. This is real life. On his watch.

“I will continue to hold Sadiq to account, to stand up for the hardworking families, for motorists and for women. I love London and I urge Sadiq to try harder to make it better for all our sakes.”

05:27 PM BST

Sadiq Khan: London is a city of progress, pluralism and possibility

Sadiq Khan said after the formal declaration: “It is truly an honour to be elected for a third term and to do so with record levels of support from Londoners, with an increased margin of victory. But today’s not about making history, it’s about shaping our future. A future where children can be nourished with free school meals and breathe clean air, where all Londoners are given the support and helping hand they need to fulfil their potential and where our social fabric is strengthened and our diverse communities cherished and celebration.

“My determination to make sure London leads from the front with world-leading green action remains as strong as ever. We’ve already made great strides cleaning up our air and will continue to tackle pollution whether it’s found in our streets or in our rivers.

“At the same time I pledge to have a focus on all the other issues Londoners care about - the rising cost of living, crime on our streets, homelessness, affordable housing. For the last eight years London has been swimming against the tide of a Tory government and now with a Labour government that’s ready to govern under Keir Starmer, it’s now time for Rishi Sunak to give the public a choice.

“A general election will not just pave the path to a new direction for our country, it’ll make bold action Londoners want to see a reality.”

Thanking his mother, wife and daughters for their “strength and support”, he said the threats and abuse he had received were “upsetting and wrong, and I’m sorry for putting you through this... This work is worth doing. It means being able to give to other families the same life changing opportunities this city has extended to ours... My final thank you must go to my fellow Londoners, the people who make this city not only special, but the greatest city in the world.

“Once again, you’ve proved that London is a city of progress, a city of pluralism and above all a city of possibility, a beacon for openness, inclusion and equality across the world. It’s Londoners who inspire me every day to continue our mission of building a fairer, safer and greener London in what I hope will be a year of great change, a future Labour government will mean we can go much further and accomplish so much more, ensuring that for our capital and our country, our brightest days are still ahead of us.”

05:23 PM BST

Sadiq Khan praises ‘hope’ over ‘hate’ after being drowned out by boos

Sadiq Khan was drowned out boos as he said “thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you London.”

The losing Britain First candidate walked across the stage shouting “Khan killed London”, before there were cheers as audience members who heckled Mr Khan were removed.

“It is the honour of my life to serve the city that I love, and I am beyond humbled right now,” the Mayor said. “I want to express my deep gratitude to my fellow Londoners and make this pledge to you. I promise to repay the trust you’ve paid in me by working tirelessly by working to deliver the safer, fairer and greener London you deserve.

“It’s been a difficult few months. We faced a campaign of non-stop negativity but I could not be more proud that we answered fearmongering with facts, hate with hope and attempts to divide with efforts to unite. We ran a campaign that was inkeeping with the spirit and values of this great city. A city that regards our diversity not as a weakness but as an almighty strength, and one that rejects hard, Right-wing populism and looks forward not back.”

05:16 PM BST

The final London mayoral results

Mr Khan has been officially re-elected as the mayor of London to cheers from supporters at City Hall.

The breakdown of votes for major parties was as follows:

• Sadiq Khan, Labour - 1,088,285

• Susan Hall, Conservatives - 812,397

• Rob Blackie, Liberal Democrat - 145,184

• Zoe Garbett, Green Party- 145,114

05:08 PM BST

Formal Mayor of London result declaration expected shorly

The result of the London mayoral election is set to be announced in a matter of minutes.

You can watch along at the top of this live blog.

04:55 PM BST

Breaking: Full recount in Coventry for West Midlands mayoral election

There will be a full recount in Coventry in the West Midlands mayoral race, The Telegraph understands.

It is set to take in excess of two hours.

04:52 PM BST

Labour up and Tories down on 2021 in London mayoral race

Sadiq Khan has outdone his performance in the 2021 London mayoral election, while Susan Hall fell short of Shaun Bailey’s showing in that same year:

Mr Khan also saw his vote share increase across much of the capital:

04:49 PM BST

A West Midlands result (but not *that* one)

Labour’s Simon Foster has triumphed over the Tories the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner election.

04:42 PM BST

Count Binface urges Sadiq Khan to adopt his policies

As City Hall waits for Mr Khan to be formally declared mayor, Count Binface is attracting the crowds.

He said he was pleased with his share of the vote having beaten the far-Right party Britain First, and hoped Mr Khan would adopt some of his policies.

“I mean renaming London Bridge after Phoebe Waller, that will cost next to nothing, just a couple of hundred quid,” he said. “Boris Johnson spent 48 million quid on a bridge that doesn’t exist.

“I want to bring back London, British fame and wonder and the best way to do that is a renaming ceremony.”

04:39 PM BST

Take note of Khan’s triumph, Momentum tells Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer should “take note” of Sadiq Khan’s victory in London, a Left-wing campaign group has claimed.

A Momentum spokesman said: “Huge congratulations to Sadiq Khan on his emphatic victory over a hard-right Tory candidate.

“Campaigning on a platform of free school meals, public ownership and council house building, Sadiq’s victory demonstrates that bold Labour policies are an electoral asset, not a hindrance.

“What’s more, his principled support for Gaza and call for a suspension of arms sales to Israel were clearly significant. Amidst Labour losses in other urban areas, the Starmer leadership should take note.”

04:33 PM BST

Khan ‘deeply humbled’ and will serve all Londoners, says ally

An ally of Sadiq Khan said the Mayor of London was “deeply humbled and grateful” to win a third term.

“This is the first time in the history of the London mayoralty that an incumbent has increased their margin of victory and seen a swing towards them,” they said.

“This is the biggest ever margin of victory in a mayoral election. It’s a vote for building more council homes, delivering free school meals and a greener London.

“Londoners have clearly rejected the overwhelmingly negative and divisive campaign run by the Tories. Labour’s positive campaign resonated with Londoners, focusing on Sadiq’s cost-of -living offer of universal free school meals and keeping fares low, as well as his world-leading green action.

“And this result gives Sadiq the mandate to deliver the bold pledges he campaigned on to build a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.

“He’s deeply humbled and grateful that 1,088,225 Londoners lent him their vote and vows to deliver for every single Londoner - whoever they voted for.”

04:21 PM BST

‘Bundle checks’ held at West Midlands mayoral election

There are currently several “bundle checks” ongoing in the West Midlands.

You might characterise these as “soft recounts”. They involve checking that all the bundles are in the right place, to ensure the stacks have been counted correctly.

A full recount would involve taking each bundle apart and counting the slips again one by one.

I’m told these checks have been requested by party agents, either Tory or Labour, in the majority of local authorities feeding into the count.

04:11 PM BST

Sadiq Khan sees off Susan Hall with 11 per cent lead

Sadiq Khan saw off Susan Hall, his Tory challenger, with a majority of 276,428.

The incumbent won 44 per cent of the vote to Mrs Hall’s 33 per cent.

04:05 PM BST

Bad news for Andy Street in the West Midlands

Richard Parker has beaten Andy Street in Wolverhampton, an area the Tories won last time, writes Amy Gibbons.

The Labour candidate won 26,442 votes to Mr Street’s 18,582 in the West Midlands mayoral race, turning the city from blue to red.

In 2021, Mr Street got 27,784 first preference votes, while Labour’s candidate received 24,989.

04:03 PM BST

Breaking: Sadiq Khan wins mayoral election

Sadiq Khan has been comfortably re-elected as Mayor of London for a third term after all 14 constituencies declared their results.

03:59 PM BST

Sadiq Khan wins by four to one in Lambeth and Southwark

Sadiq Khan has won Lambeth and Southwark by a huge margin, writes Neil Johnston, with four times the votes of Ms Hall with 106,861 choosing the mayor compared to 26,347 for his Conservative rival.

03:55 PM BST

Havering and Redbridge backs Susan Hall

In Havering and Redbridge, where Susan Hall was expected to win, the Conservatives received 82,859 votes compared to 50,780 for Sadiq Khan. writes Neil Johnston.

03:47 PM BST

Susan Hall wins Croydon and Sutton as expected

Susan Hall has won Croydon and Sutton as expected, receiving 78,790 votes compared to 59,482 votes for Sadiq Khan.

03:43 PM BST

Sadiq Khan wins Barnet and Camden

There was another win for Sadiq Khan in Barnet and Camden, where it was neck-and-neck three years ago, as he received 70,984 votes compared to 57,465 for Susan Hall.

It is a major shift from Shaun Bailey receiving 65,822 Tory votes in 2021, and Mr Khan receiving 67,610.

03:37 PM BST

Sadiq Khan wins easily in City & East

In City & East, where Sadiq Khan was expected to win easily, the mayor received 108,977 votes, compared to 38,626 for Susan Hall, writes Neil Johnston.

03:35 PM BST

‘The great tragedy of Sunak’s premiership has just been exposed’

The Conservative defeat this week could have been worse, but that’s not saying much, writes Kate Andrews.

The re-election of Tory mayor Ben Houchen in Tees Valley, winning the smallest majority in the hotly contested Harlow council election – these are the saving graces for a party that lost hundreds of councillors and another MP this week. There were many signs that the 2019 coalition that propelled the Tories to victory has come fully undone.

What exactly has gone so badly wrong for the Tories is also a hotly contested topic.

Unfortunately for the party, the list of possible answers is long. Houchen’s triumph has been linked to the mayor’s independent nature, and he has often taken a more interventionist approach to the economy than his party has done at a national level.

There was a notable lack of love for Rishi Sunak – or even a mention – in the mayor’s victory speech, although the pair did appear together briefly to celebrate Houchen’s victory.

Kate Andrews: Cleaning up his own party’s mess will not win Sunak votes

03:25 PM BST

Some brighter news for Susan Hall

In Ealing and Hillingdon, where the Conservatives were expected to win, Susan Hall received 75,396 votes while Sadiq Khan secured 73,257, writes Neil Johnston.

And Brent and Harrow became the first place where the Tories outperformed their 2021 result, with Ms Hall winning 41.8 per cent of the vote while Mr Khan won 37.2 per cent - a swing of 1.2 per cent.

03:18 PM BST

Burnham: I won’t hesitate to tell Starmer if he gets thing wrong

Asked how positioning himself as an independent voice would square with a Labour government and if he would be “equally forthright” with Sir Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham told Sky: “I certainly would point out if things were wrong, I won’t hold back from doing that.

“You only do these jobs properly if you take a place-first approach. They are different roles to Westminster roles where it’s party-first under the whips system. If you don’t do these roles with a place-first approach, then I don’t think you do these roles properly. And sometimes that means you might have to say to the Government of the day you’ve got this wrong, or that isn’t fair to us.”

03:16 PM BST

Burnham: I’ll be a mayor for everybody

Andy Burnham said it “means a great deal to me” to be re-elected as Greater Manchester Mayor.

He told Sky: “I feel a little overwhelmed and I’ll take a little while to come to terms with it, but it is just a great feeling and I’d just like to thank everyone who voted for me. And for those who haven’t I’ll work for everybody in the city region.

“Anybody will tell you I’m not the best of candidates, I don’t take anything for granted, probably unnecessarily worrying at times.

“These are tough times. It’s hard out there, people are really struggling and politicians really need to listen to what they’ve heard on the doorstep. The country needs pretty profound change as far as I’m concerned and we need now to get on with delivering it.”

03:13 PM BST

A landslide for Andy Burnham in Manchester

Here is how Andy Burnham’s re-election played out:

03:09 PM BST

Tracy Brabin re-elected as West Yorkshire Mayor

Labour’s Tracy Brabin has been re-elected as the Mayor of West Yorkshire.

Ms Brabin first took office in 2021 and was returned with 275,430 votes, while Conservative candidate Arnold Craven was second with 82,757 votes.

03:08 PM BST

Victorious Andy Burnham speaks of the need for ‘profound change’

Andy Burnham has been re-elected for a third term as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

The former Labour minister spoke of the need for “profound change” nationally in his acceptance speech.

“The Westminster one-size-fits-all approach to policy hasn’t worked,” he said. “If you have an education system overly focused on the university route, you will leave some young people growing up without hope.

“If you have a benefits system overly focused on sanctions rather than support you will end up with a growing mental health crisis. And if housing policy is exclusively focused on promoting homeownership, you will leave millions trapped in a housing crisis.

“Greater Manchester is ready to break out of this. Devolution in England is working and these elections show voters are buying into it and it is time to go much further.”

03:02 PM BST

Solihull backs Andy Street - but there is still a swing towards Labour

Solihull has voted to re-elect Andy Street as West Midlands mayor, writes our Political Correspondent Amy Gibbons.

However, the incumbent received a reduced share of the vote, while Labour’s share increased.

Mr Street secured 35,289 votes, or 62 per cent of the total, fewer than the 68 per cent of first preferences he won under the old voting system in 2021.

Labour’s Richard Parker got 11,728 votes, or 21 per cent, an increase on the 15 per cent of first preferences the party’s candidate got last time.

Solihull is a largely Conservative area with a Tory council. The town elected a Conservative MP at the last election, who now sits as an independent.

03:00 PM BST

Analysis: Khan has made serious ground across London

With half of the London constituency votes for mayor counted, Sadiq Khan has made serious ground across the city, writes our Data Editor Ben Butcher.

Compared to the first preference vote in 2021, Khan has increased his vote share in all of them, bar Bexley and Bromley, where his vote remained static.

In North East London, which includes the boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, his vote share jumped from 52 per cent to 62 per cent.

Susan Hall has failed to make inroads anywhere.  Just a couple of London Assembly constituency votes have been counted so far, but again Labour have made ground albeit at a slightly lower pace; up 2.3 per cent in Merton & Wandsworth and 1.8 per cent in Greenwich & Lewisham.

02:57 PM BST

Coming up

We can expect to find out whether Andy Street has held the West Midlands mayoralty for the Tories any time now.

02:45 PM BST

Birmingham and Coventry back Labour’s West Midlands PPC candidate

Both Birmingham and Coventry have voted for Labour candidate Simon Foster in the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner election.

Mr Foster received 125,631 votes in Birmingham and 43,014 votes in Coventry, an increase on the 111,852 and 37,101 first preference votes he won under the old supplementary system in 2021, respectively.

Tory candidate Tom Byrne secured 77,798 votes in Birmingham, compared to 63,681 in 2021. In Coventry, he got 24,989 votes, around the same as the 24,579 he got last time.

It represents an increase in vote share for both parties, which might partly be down to the change in voting system.

02:39 PM BST

Sadiq Khan on course for 2.5 per cent swing on 2021 result

Professor Sir John Curtice, Britain’s foremost polling guru, is forecasting that Sadiq Khan will win a historic third term as Mayor of London.

Sir John predicts Mr Khan will beat Tory candidate Susan Hall by 43 per cent to 33 per cent, which would be a swing of 2.5 per cent since 2021.

02:32 PM BST

Susan Hall victorious in first mayoral constituency

In Bexley and Bromley, Ms Hall emerged victorious for the first time today with 111,216 votes compared to 48,952 for Mr Khan, writes Neil Johnston.

According to the BBC this does not represent a swing since the 2021 result.

02:17 PM BST

Labour triumphs in Enfield and Haringey

In Enfield and Haringey, Mr Khan received twice the vote share of his rival with 82,725 votes, compared to Ms Hall’s 41,389, a swing of 4.4 per cent.

02:12 PM BST

Curtice: Tories ‘must feel rather flat’

Professor Sir John Curtice has said the Tories “must feel rather flat” with Sadiq Khan on track for a comfortable victory in the London mayoral race.

“If the Conservatives were fuelling their hopes last night they must feel rather flat today and I’m not sure where all of that has come from,” Sir John told the BBC.

“I suspect we’re going to be in roughly the place at least some of the polls were anticipating in advance.”

02:05 PM BST

Khan triumphs over Hall in South West

In the South West area, Sadiq Khan has also triumphed with 77,011 votes compared to 68,856 for Ms Hall.

It is a Conservative to Labour swing of 2.7 per cent, and another seat where Shaun Bailey beat Mr Khan in 2021.

01:54 PM BST

Labour also wins in North East

Sadiq Khan has comfortably beaten Susan Hall in the North East London constituency.

Mr Khan won 127,445 votes versus Ms Hall’s 34,099 in a swing of 6.9 per cent since 2021.

01:52 PM BST

A major blow for Hall in West Central

The result in West Central is a huge blow for Susan Hall after failing to win in a constituency where Shaun Bailey beat Sadiq Khan in 2021.

01:45 PM BST

Sadiq Khan wins in West Central

Sadiq Khan has won another significant victory in West Central, which was won by Tory hopeful Shaun Bailey in 2021.

Ms Hall secured 43,405 votes compared to Mr Khan’s 54,481.

01:36 PM BST

Analysis: Things look promising for Sadiq Khan

For the past 24 hours Westminster has been ablaze with rumours Susan Hall has outperformed the polls.

But while the Tory challenger may well have done better than expected, the first two count results - in Greenwich and Lewisham and in Merton and Wandsworth - bode well for Sadiq Khan.

The two areas have seen respective swings of 5.1 per cent and 4.5 per cent from Tory to Labour since the 2021 race.

While the vast majority of results are still yet to come in, all of this suggests that Mr Khan is in pole position.

01:26 PM BST

Streets ahead?

01:19 PM BST

Breaking: West Midlands turnout just under 30 per cent

Turnout in the West Midlands mayoral contest between Tory incumbent Andy Street and Labour’s Richard Parker is just under 30 per cent.

Sky News reports that 29.8 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, down by 1.4 per cent on 2021.

01:17 PM BST

Labour triumphant in South Yorkshire mayoral race

Oliver Coppard achieved just over half of the popular vote to hold onto his role as Mayor of South Yorkshire:

12:54 PM BST

‘These are good results for Sadiq Khan’

Britain’s foremost polling guru has said the results to date provide a “pretty clear indication” that Sadiq Khan is on course to be re-elected.

Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBC: “These are good results for Sadiq Khan and I think a lot of the speculation which emerged late last night and this morning has probably proven to be misplaced.

“I think we’ve already got a pretty clear indication that Sadiq Khan is indeed likely to be re-elected as the Mayor of London.”

12:51 PM BST

Breaking: Labour have also held South Yorkshire

It comes as yet another mayoral triumph for Sir Keir Starmer’s party, with Oliver Coppard retaining his position.

12:45 PM BST

He’s leaving home

12:44 PM BST

Labour holds Liverpool mayoralty

Labour politician Steve Rotheram has urged Rishi Sunak to call a general election saying “we are ready when you are” after he was re-elected as Liverpool City Region Mayor.

Mr Rotherham was elected with 183,932 votes (68.01 per cent), while his Conservative challenger Jane Marsden came second with 27,708 (10 per cent).

12:43 PM BST

Breaking: Sadiq Khan in the lead after first declarations

Sadiq Khan is ahead in the London mayoral race after the first declarations.

Mr Khan secured  83,792 votes in Greenwich and Lewisham compared to 36,822 votes for Susan Hall,

In Merton and Wandsworth Mr Khan was also ahead with 84,725 votes compared to  50,976 for Ms Hall.

12:26 PM BST

Tories have lost more than 370 councillors

Some 103 out of 107 councils have now declared their results, with the Tories having lost 376 seats and Labour gaining 205.

The Liberal Democrats gained 94 and the Greens 57, while independent candidates picked up 279, five down on the previous cycle.

12:08 PM BST

Old Bexley MP: Win or lose, I’m proud to have been on Susan’s team

12:06 PM BST

Charles Moore: Changing leader will not save the Conservatives

A fair summary might be that, after 14 years, voters feel the Conservative Party has delighted them long enough, but they have not yet decided exactly what to do about it, writes Charles Moore.

Charles Moore: The Tories are blinded by an obsession with replacing Rishi

11:56 AM BST

Is Hall headed for City Hall?

Conservative London mayoral candidate Susan Hall has been seen leaving her home as she waits to find out whether she has done enough to oust Sadiq Khan, the Labour incumbent.

Twenty-six of London’s 32 boroughs are more than 50 per cent of the way through their vote counts, although there is yet to be a single declaration.

11:49 AM BST

Counting is underway in London

Counting is underway in London where Sadiq Khan faces a closer than expected race with Conservative candidate Susan Hall as he seeks to secure a historic third term.

Last time round Sadiq Khan secured over one million 1,013, 721 first preference votes and won in the second round over the Conservatives’s Shaun Bailey.

However this year’s vote sees a change of voting system to First Past The Post which will see the winner declared in the first round.

On the first preference in 2021 Mr Khan’s share was 40 per cent compared to Bailey on 35 per cent with Sian Berry of the Green Party third on 8 per cent. As well as a change of voting system, ballots will no longer be counted electronically and will be counted by hand.

The previous results were not declared until near midnight but less candidates and a simpler voting system should speed up the process.

11:40 AM BST

Meet the candidates vying to become Mayor of London

Among the millions of people heading to the polls in the local elections on May 2 will be Londoners deciding who will be the capital’s mayor for the next four years.

Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London, has been in office since 2016, having replaced Boris Johnson when he stepped down. Mr Khan is promising to make free school meals permanent for all state primary state school pupils in London.

He has also pledged to freeze TfL fares until at least 2025, to build 40,000 new council houses by the end of the decade and to deliver new “rent control” homes.

Mr Khan’s main challenger is Conservative hopeful Susan Hall, one of whose central promises is to reverse hisexpansion of the ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) on “day one” if she is elected.

Her campaign has also focused on crime rates, with a promise to reform the Metropolitan Police and “get a grip” on offending by investing £200 million in the force.

My colleague Genevieve Holl-Allen takes a look at all of the candidates

11:36 AM BST

What is the mood on the ground in the West Midlands?

The general consensus from both camps is that the result could go either way, with Labour having wholly disowned what appeared to be an early concession from an anonymous source on Friday.

The Tories think things have gone well for them in Birmingham, but they’re conscious the vote could play out differently elsewhere.

Labour reckon it’s anyone’s game. Sources on the ground were keen to point out that a strong performance for independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob, who has been backed by George Galloway, would not necessarily equate to a drain on Labour’s vote, as they argued many of those people would be lost to the party already. But they can’t deny that their support has taken a knock.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given it’s expected to be a tight race, I’m hearing that every disputed ballot paper is causing a big stir on the floor. Expect lots more of that as the day goes on.

11:33 AM BST

Labour in racism row after source blames Hamas for predicted mayoral loss

Labour is embroiled in an internal racism row after a party source appeared to blame Hamas supporters for a predicted loss in the West Midlands mayoral election.

MPs reacted angrily after a quote from an insider appeared, saying a Tory victory would be thanks to “the Middle East, not West Midlands”.

Backbenchers decried the remarks for conflating Muslim voters with Hamas, with the Labour Party later distancing itself from the “racist” comment.

The row erupted after a Labour source in the West Midlands predicted that Richard Parker, the party’s candidate, would lose to Andy Street, the Tory incumbent.

“It’s the Middle East, not West Midlands that will have won Street the mayoralty. Once again, Hamas are the real villains,” the source told BBC Midlands Today.

Nick Gutteridge has the full story

11:19 AM BST

‘The Left’s opponents do not deserve to be labelled as “far-Right” extremists’

If Susan Hall is “far-Right”, how are the Left now describing neo-Nazis? The Tory candidate for London mayor was repeatedly smeared during the election campaign, writes Camilla Tominey.

Camilla Tominey: Those with moderate views are being smeared

10:56 AM BST

Starmer: Khan was the right candidate and I’m confident he will win

Sir Keir Starmer has declared he is “confident” Sadiq Khan will win a third term as Mayor of London despite speculation that Susan Hall could achieve one of the biggest shocks in recent British political history.

Speaking in Mansfield to celebrate his party’s triumph in the East Midlands mayoral contest, Sir Keir told reporters: “Sadiq Khan was absolutely the right candidate.

“He has got two terms of delivery behind him and I am confident that he has got another term of delivery in front of him.”

10:37 AM BST

Starmer: Tories do not deserve a moment longer in government

Sir Keir Starmer has been in Mansfield celebrating Labour’s Claire Ward becoming the first ever East Midlands Mayor.

He told activists: “This is a fantastic victory, a really important victory. You fought for this with a very, very positive campaign. I came here myself to campaign with you, I was struck by the positivity of the case that you were making. And you were rewarded with the trust and confidence of the voters in the East Midlands, a really, really important area for us.

“The underlying constituencies, the voters across the whole of the East Midlands, came out and voted Labour and that is a very significant moment in our history. And when the history books are written about this period of our political history in the United Kingdom, this will be part of that story - the day you were able to persuade people that we are a changed Labour Party with a positive plan to take to the country, and they can safely put their vote against the Labour cross.

“A very, very significant and important victory that vindicates the hard work of the last few years, changing the Labour Party, country first, party second, and being clear about the positive case that we make as we go forward.

“I think the message here is very, very clear and across the East Midlands and there’s been a sending of that message to the Government, which is we’re fed up with your division, with your chaos and with your failure. Fourteen years. And I’m sorry, I don’t care which political party you support, if you leave your country in a worse state than when you found it 14 years later, you do not deserve to be in government for a moment longer.”

10:30 AM BST

Muslim vote collapse is a major warning sign for Starmer

Amid all the talk of a “seismic” victory for Labour, a closer inspection of the election results so far may leave Sir Keir Starmer with a nagging doubt at the back of his mind, writes our Associate Editor Gordon Rayner.

Read Gordon’s full analysis here

10:19 AM BST

London mayoral election on a knife edge, warn Labour insiders

Labour insiders have warned that the London mayoral election is on a knife edge after the party was hit by a local elections backlash from Muslim voters over its stance on Gaza, writes our Chief Political Correspondent Nick Gutteridge.

One ally of Sadiq Khan, the incumbent mayor, said the fight with Conservative Susan Hall was “definitely going to be close” and suggested there could be just a few points in it.

The warnings suggested Ms Hall could defy expectations, despite having largely been written off ahead of the election.

Last night, the Conservatives were buoyed by low turnout data suggesting that many of Mr Khan’s previous supporters may have stayed home.

The number of ballots cast was down in some areas where he performed well last time, while it was up in Tory strongholds such as Bexley and Bromley.

Full story: Khan ally says City Hall race will ‘definitely’ be close

10:01 AM BST

A critical few hours ahead in the West Midlands

Good morning from Birmingham city centre, where counting is finally underway in the critical West Midlands mayoral race. Rishi Sunak will be hoping Conservative incumbent Andy Street can buck the national trend and cling on for a third term, while Sir Keir Starmer will be vying for a major Tory upset to round off a strong set of local elections for Labour.

It is arguably the most important contest still to be declared - besides London - with a lot at stake for both the Prime Minister and his opposite number.

A win would come as a huge relief to Mr Sunak, providing a silver lining in an otherwise dreary weekend for the Conservatives. With both the Tees Valley and West Midlands mayoralties in the bag, he’ll feel things could have gone a whole lot worse.

It would also provide a useful opportunity for the Tories to turn the heat up on Labour, whose performance in areas with a higher Muslim population - such as Birmingham - is expected to suffer following a backlash to its stance on Gaza.

A Labour win, on the other hand, would be a huge thorn in Mr Sunak’s side. As a key asset to the party outside Westminster, Mr Street’s fortunes will be seen as a bellwether for the Tories’ prospects in the general election later this year.

09:57 AM BST

Who is Susan Hall, Sadiq Khan’s self-styled ‘bête noire’?

When Susan Hall boasted Sadiq Khan “can’t handle me” during the race for the Tory London mayoral nomination, describing herself as “Khan’s bête noire”, she received widespread scorn on social media.

But it looks as though the 69-year-old may be about to have the last laugh amid rumours she may have done enough to oust Mr Khan from City Hall and deny him what would be a historic third term as mayor of London.

Explaining why was running for the mayoralty in an interview with The Telegraph last year, the former Harrow Council leader says it was not about profile raising or “ego” but to “make a sodding difference.”

She currently sits on the London Assembly, where she has repeatedly clashed with Mr Khan, and is a former chairman of the Assembly’s police and crime committee.

During her campaign, Ms Hall has said she wants to focus on better policing, women’s safety and ending the war on cars.

• From July 2023: The mayoral hopeful wanting to make a ‘sodding difference’ in London

• From April 2024: I can still defeat Sadiq Khan, says Susan Hall

09:43 AM BST

Lowest London mayoral turnout since 2012

The turnout for the London mayoral election is 40.5 per cent, data from across the capital’s 32 boroughs show.

This is down by 1.5 percentage points on the 2021 contest between Sadiq Khan, the incumbent Labour mayor, and his unsuccessful challenger Shaun Bailey.

It also marks the lowest turnout since Boris Johnson secured re-election in 2012.

09:27 AM BST

Camilla Tominey: Starmer is a socialist in centrist’s clothing

As nights go, the local elections heralded a great one for Labour, writes our Associate Editor Camilla Tominey.

Camilla Tominey: Labour is far more dangerous than voters realise

09:22 AM BST

Vote Reform and get Labour, warns science minister

A vote for Reform is a vote for Labour, a science minister has claimed in the wake of the local elections.

Andrew Griffith argued Richard Tice’s insurgent Right-wing party would only allow Sir Keir Starmer into No 10 at the next national poll after it came within 100 votes of the Conservatives at the Blackpool South by-election, in which Labour was victorious.

“What is super clear over the last 24 hours is that where people vote for Reform, what they get is a Labour candidate, a Labour councillor or at a general election a Labour prime minister,” Mr Griffith told Sky News.

“And if that’s what Reform voters really want - they tell me that they’re concerned about things like higher spending on defence, war on woke, having control of our borders...

“Now if those are the things you want, that you vote for Reform, you’re going to get a government that promotes an amnesty for those who come here illegally and a prime minister whose crowning achievement until they were the leader of the Labour Party was to try to put Jeremy Corbyn into office.”

09:17 AM BST

Rishi Sunak: The choice at the next election is clear

The last few weeks have demonstrated the clear choice at the next election between the Conservatives and Labour, Rishi Sunak writes in The Telegraph today.

A plan versus no plan, bold principled action versus U-turns and prevarication, a clear record of delivery versus political game playing, a leader focused on the future or a party obsessed with talking about the past.

Whether it’s the economy, migration, welfare or the defence of our realm, the Conservatives have a plan and it’s working, and Labour is nowhere to be seen.

Take migration. I am determined to get control of migration, both legal and illegal. That is why I have introduced measures designed to halve legal migration and have got the Rwanda scheme on the statute book despite the opposition of Sir Keir Starmer and the blockers.

Just this week, our approach is being vindicated. First, Rwanda. Already, the deterrent effect is working, and illegal immigrants are leaving this country because they fear being detained and deported.

Rishi Sunak: Labour has no plan – and we have everything to fight for

09:10 AM BST

Davey: Tories will be running scared of Lib Dems at election time

Sir Ed Davey said dozens of Tory MPs would be “worried” about his party at the next general election after the Liberal Democrats picked up almost 100 seats.

The Liberal Democrat leader told reporters: “In so many parts of the country it’ll be Conservative MPs worried about the Liberal Democrats across the south east, the Blue Wall, the south west, in many other parts of the country where we are the challengers to the Conservatives.

“People know if they want to get rid of this awful Conservative Government and make them history, they should vote Liberal Democrat.”

Sir Ed celebrated in Winchester yesterday to mark his party consolidating its control of the council as activists dressed up as dinosaurs wearing blue rosettes and waved a banner that said “make this Conservative Government history”.

09:01 AM BST

Labour accuses Hall of ‘very divisive’ campaign

Labour has accused Susan Hall of running a “very divisive” campaign in the London mayoral race amid speculation that she may have done enough to oust Sadiq Khan.

The outcome of the contest is expected to become clear by early Saturday afternoon as Mr Khan seeks a historic third term in City Hall, while his Tory challenger hopes to remove him from power after running a campaign heavily focused on his green policies and rising crime.

Speaking on Sky’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, defended controversial claims by fellow frontbencher Wes Streeting that victory for Ms Hall would be “a win for racists, white supremacists and Islamophobes the world over”.

“I think we’ve seen from the Conservatives in London, from Susan Hall, really a very divisive campaign that is damaging,” Ms Cooper said. “What we need is to be able to pull London together and we also need to be able to pull the whole country together.

“We’ve been really clear about the way in which the Conservatives have campaigned in London being divisive and being damaging. What we need to do is bring the capital together and I think Sadiq Khan has been doing that.”

A spokesman for Ms Hall said: “Insulting Londoners who are understandably worried about the epidemic of crime on our streets, the devastating impact of the Ulez expansion and Sadiq’s proposals for a pay-per-mile scheme shows just how out of touch Sadiq Khan is. London desperately needs a Mayor that listens and Londoners will get that with Susan Hall.”

08:41 AM BST

The mayoral results so far

Here are the results that have come in so far for Thursday’s mayoral elections:

08:39 AM BST

Anti-LTN party backed by Florence Pugh’s father wins three seats in Oxford

An anti-LTN backed by the father of Hollywood actress Florence Pugh has won four seats in Oxford in the local election.

The Independent Oxford Alliance (IOA) has capitalised on a growing backlash against low traffic neighbourhoods, causing an upset on Friday by taking three seats from Labour in the Oxford City Council election.

The grassroots political party, which supports community projects and small businesses, is backed by Pugh’s father Clinton, who owns two restaurants in the area and claims he has lost business because of LTNs.

Mr Pugh, who considered running in the election but ultimately chose not to because of business commitments, welcomed the success. He said: “All of the people who have joined this party are people who are fed up with the LTN chaos in this city.”

08:33 AM BST

London Mayor Elections - Candidates

There are 13 candidates in the London mayoral contest, although the first-past-the-post voting system means it realistically comes down to a two horse race between Sadiq Khan, the incumbent Labour mayor who hopes to secure a third term, and Susan Hall, his Tory challenger.

08:19 AM BST

London mayoral election on a knife edge, warn Labour insiders

Labour insiders have warned that the London mayoral election is on a knife edge after the party was hit by a local elections backlash from Muslim voters over its stance on Gaza.

One ally of Sadiq Khan, the incumbent mayor, said the fight with Conservative Susan Hall was “definitely going to be close” and suggested there could be just a few points in it.

The warnings suggested Ms Hall could defy expectations, despite having largely been written off ahead of the election.

08:16 AM BST

Candidates vying to become Mayor of London

The results of the London Mayoral elections are to be announced today.

Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London, has been in office since 2016, having replaced Boris Johnson when he stepped down.

Susan Hall, the London Assembly member, who was leader of the London Conservatives until last May, is running to unseat Mr Khan.

Here are the profiles of candidates vying to become Mayor of London.

08:07 AM BST

Sunak: Tories have everything to fight for

Rishi Sunak has said the Conservatives have “everything to fight for” as key mayoral contests offered the party a glimmer of hope.

Writing for The Telegraph, the Prime Minister issued a rallying cry after Labour and Tory sources said Conservative Andy Street would win in the West Midlands and predicted that Sadiq Khan’s race to be re-elected in London would be closer than expected.

Read the full story here.

08:05 AM BST

Boris Johnson thanks villagers who turned him away from polling station

Boris Johnson has thanked three villagers who turned the former prime minister away from a polling station on Thursday for attempting to vote without a valid ID.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said he attempted to use a copy of Prospect magazine as a form of identification, but was turned away by local electorate officials.

Mr Johnson wrote: “I want to pay a particular tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away when I appeared in the polling station with nothing to prove my identity except the sleeve of my copy of Prospect magazine, on which my name and address had been printed.

“I showed it to them and they looked very dubious... within minutes I was back with my driving licence and voted Tory.”

The requirement to provide photo ID was introduced by Mr Johnson during his time in Downing Street as part of the Elections Act 2022.

08:03 AM BST

Sunak has ‘little to show’ for efforts to restore Tory brand

Local election results so far demonstrate Rishi Sunak has “very little to show” for his efforts to recover the Conservative brand following Liz Truss’s premiership, Sir John Curtice said.

The election expert told the BBC: “There is nothing in these results to suggest contrary to the opinion polls that the Conservatives are actually beginning to narrow the gap on Labour, and that so far at least, Rishi Sunak’s project which has tried to recover from the disaster - from the Conservatives’ point of view - of the Liz Truss fiscal event, that project has still got very little to show for it.

“That in a sense is the big takeaway.

“Now the Conservatives, as when all parties do badly in elections, they always want you to focus on the exception rather than the rule, and Tees Valley and probably the West Midlands are the exceptions not the rule.”
On Labour losses over its stance on Gaza, Sir John said: “At the moment I think what we would find if we had a general election is that Labour might well fall back in some of these seats, but because the Labour Party is already so strong, they would probably still succeed in winning the parliamentary election.

“But yep, this is a big message to Labour from these local elections, is that you are indeed now in trouble with some of your Muslim former supporters.”

08:00 AM BST

Sunak braced for mayoral election results

Rishi Sunak is braced for the result of key mayoral elections in London and the West Midlands, after the Conservatives were trounced in the first day of local election results.

As Friday’s result declarations closed, the Conservatives had suffered a net loss of 371 seats, and lost control of 10 councils.

All eyes will now turn to mayoral contests in London and the West Midlands, the results of which will be declared today.

Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan is believed to have a closer-than-expected contest with Tory challenger Susan Hall in the capital, while a narrow contest is also likely for West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street.

07:58 AM BST

Today’s schedule

Here is the schedule of today’s election results.

Mayors:

• 12pm Liverpool City Region

• 1.30pm London

• 2pm South Yorkshire

• 3pm West Midlands

• 3.15pm West Yorkshire

• 4pm Greater Manchester

• 5pm Salford

Councils:

• TBC Epping Forest

• 4pm North Tyneside, Stroud, Warrington

Police and crime commissioners:

• 12pm Hertfordshire

• 2pm Thames Valley

• 2.30pm Warwickshire, West Midlands

• 3pm Cheshire, Dorset

• 3.30pm Merseyside

• 4pm Wiltshire

07:55 AM BST

Welcome back

Welcome back to The Telegraph’s coverage of the 2024 local and mayoral elections.

Follow this blog for the latest updates as we guide you through another dramatic day of results.