England: Polls open for important local elections

Early on Thursday, polling places opened across England for a number of crucial local elections that are expected to increase pressure on the beleaguered Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The polls are the final significant ballot box test before a general election scheduled for later this year. The polls include a mix of council, mayoral, and other municipal elections along with a parliamentary by-election.

Sunak’s decision The Conservatives, who have ruled the country since 2010, are expected to suffer significant setbacks despite having won hundreds of seats in the most recent local elections in 2021.

The Conservatives are predicted by polls conducted over the past two years to lose the forthcoming general election.

Voting closes at 2100 GMT, and the results of Thursday’s elections—including the Blackpool South by-election for parliament—should be known early on Friday.

However, a lot of councils won’t declare the winners until later in the day, and the results of important regional and London mayoral contests won’t be released until the weekend.

Though mayoral races in the West Midlands and Tees Valley, in northeastern England, are anticipated to be close, Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of the city, is projected to easily win a record-breaking third term.

The triumph of the Labour opposition in any region that has bellwether constituencies would be celebrated as more proof that people are prepared to bring the party back to power on a national level.

In the UK parliament at Westminster, there is much conjecture that with such a poor performance, certain disgruntled Tory MPs would attempt to unseat Sunak, who has been in office since October 2022.

However, victories for Ben Houchen and Andy Street, the Tory mayors of the West Midlands and Tees Valley, would increase their optimism that the embattled leader can still turn things around.

Following the resignation of the Tory MP over a lobbying scandal, Labour is predicted to take the Blackpool South parliamentary seat from the Tories in a by-election similar to those held in previous years.

According to pollsters, the Conservatives may lose around half of the almost 1,000 council seats that they are fighting for in England’s cities, towns, and districts.

In Wales — as well as England — voters will only elect police and crime commissioners, who control forces’ budgets, set their priorities and have the power to hire and fire chief constables.

Again, political analysts say the Tories may lose up to half of their 29 commissioners, with 37 in total up for grabs.

AFP