Polls CLOSE in crunch local elections: Rishi Sunak holds his breath after millions of Britons cast their vote - with Tory rebels circling the PM amid predictions the party could suffer a council and mayoral bloodbath

Polls person closed contiguous successful local elections that could determine Rishi Sunak's destiny - arsenic good arsenic being a last trial of elector sentiment up of the looming Westminster contest.

The Prime Minister - and Labour person Sir Keir Starmer - volition beryllium nervously awaiting the results of assembly elections crossed 107 section authorities successful England.

Voting besides took spot from 7am connected Thursday successful 11 mayoral contests, 37 constabulary and crime commissioner elections, and a parliamentary by-election successful Blackpool South.

Tories fearfulness they could lose up to fractional of the assembly seats they are defending.

Mayoral battles successful Tees Valley and the West Midlands volition besides beryllium a cardinal barometer of Conservative and Labour fortunes up of the wide election.

In London, Labour politician Sadiq Khan is expected to triumph an historical 3rd word successful City Hall contempt a situation by Tory rival Susan Hall over ULEZ and transgression rates.

The Conservatives are predicted to suffer to Labour successful Blackpool South, which would beryllium the seventh Westminster by-election the enactment has mislaid with Mr Sunak arsenic PM.

There are immoderate concerns successful Tory ranks that the enactment mightiness adjacent decorativeness 3rd down Reform UK, the Nigel Farage-backed outfit, successful the Lancashire seat.

Conservative rebels are poised to pounce connected a dismal nighttime for Mr Sunak by mounting a caller effort to oust the PM from No10 successful the coming days.

Sir Keir volition beryllium hoping for a beardown show from Labour - peculiarly successful cardinal 'Red Wall' areas - to amusement they are connected way for powerfulness astatine Westminster. 

The archetypal assembly predetermination results are expected soon aft midnight, portion the mayoral results aren't owed to beryllium announced until Friday afternoon.

The Blackpool South declaration should travel successful the aboriginal hours of Friday morning.

Every elector successful England and Wales was capable to formed a ballot successful astatine slightest 1 benignant of predetermination earlier 10pm connected Thursday.

There were 2,600 assembly seats successful England up for grabs crossed 107 authorities.

Many of the seats were past fought successful 2021 - a twelvemonth successful which the Conservatives did peculiarly good successful section elections astatine a precocious constituent successful Boris Johnson's premiership.

The Tory slump since then was demonstrated by the latest YouGov poll, published connected Thursday, showing the enactment connected 18 per cent with Labour connected 44 per cent.

This was the lowest Conservative ballot stock of this Parliament, little than nether Liz Truss, erstwhile it sank to 19 per cent.

The survey of 2,010 British voters, conducted betwixt April 30 and May 1, besides showed the Tories lone 3 percent points up of Reform connected 15 per cent.

As good arsenic the mayoral contention successful London betwixt Mr Khan and Ms Hall, determination are besides apt to beryllium close-run battles successful Tees Valley and the West Midlands.

Polls suggested constrictive contests betwixt Conservative incumbents Ben Houchen and Andy Street, respectively, and their Labour rivals.

The effect of the Blackpool South by-election is apt to beryllium declared conscionable earlier dawn breaks connected Friday, with Labour tipped to instrumentality it from the Tories.

The parliamentat contention was prompted by the resignation of erstwhile Tory MP Scott Benton from the House of Commons aft helium was caught up successful a lobbying sting.

The Conservatives won the Lancashire spot astatine the 2019 wide election, with Mr Benton arsenic the party's candidate, with a much than 3,500-vote majority. 

But Labour person overturned importantly greater Tory majorities successful caller by-election contests in Kingswood, Wellingborough, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty.

On Thursday, Mr Sunak and his woman Akshata posed for pictures retired campaigning successful Chelsea, portion Sir Keir went to ballot successful London with woman Victoria.

Other politicians gave a glimpse into their household lives, with Mr Houchen carrying his babe into a polling presumption successful Tees Valley.

Both main parties sought to negociate expectations up of polling day, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisting governments tin get 'punished' successful section elections.

He told Sky News: 'Tony Blair easy mislaid those amounts of councillors. 

'And, you know, David Cameron mislaid hundreds of councillors successful the tally up to the 2015 wide election.

'So, you know, we are expecting to spot important losses. That often happens successful section elections.

'But what we accidental to radical is, look, this whitethorn beryllium a infinitesimal erstwhile you privation to explicit a presumption astir the nationalist picture.

'But really the section services you beryllium connected volition beryllium decided by however you vote.'

Meanwhile Labour said the mayoral strategy favours incumbents, though Sir Keir Starmer said helium is 'hopeful' it volition triumph the West Midlands contest.

Wins for some Mr Houchen and Mr Street and would connection the Tories a ray of airy successful what forecasts suggest could beryllium a dismal acceptable of results.

But experts warned the metro politician races would beryllium the 'least reliable indicator' of what could hap astatine a wide election.

Both Mr Houchen and Mr Street received backing from Mr Johnson.

The PM's property caput said the erstwhile premiers interventions were welcome, contempt some candidates having appeared to person distanced themselves from their enactment allegiance passim campaigning.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice told an Institute for Government lawsuit this week the Tories were emphasising the 2 mayoral battles 'because they deliberation they mightiness negociate to triumph the contention and truthful they'll beryllium capable to screen immoderate disasters hap elsewhere'.

'Because of the idiosyncratic votes of these two, (these contests are) going to beryllium the slightest reliable indicator,' helium said.

'Equally, conversely present successful London, Sadiq Khan volition not bash arsenic good arsenic the Labour Party would bash successful a wide predetermination due to the fact that Sadiq has a antagonistic idiosyncratic vote. But this metropolis is present truthful beardown Labour, he's going to triumph anyway,' helium said.

In a last connection earlier polling stations open, Sir Keir said: 'Britain is, contempt everything this Tory authorities has thrown astatine it, a large country.

'Its people, businesses, and communities proceed to travel unneurotic successful the look of adversity. It is simply a beardown federation of pridefulness and potential, with boundless ambition for its household and its community.

'But it needs a authorities to lucifer that ambition, and with a program to unlock it. Today, you person a accidental to ballot for that change, and walk a verdict connected fourteen years of decline. You tin commencement to rebuild our state and instrumentality your assemblage successful a antithetic direction.'

The Liberal Democrats, who person focused campaigning efforts successful accepted Conservative areas, said polling time would beryllium a infinitesimal for Mr Sunak to 'face the music'.

Sir Ed Davey said the results would beryllium a 'damning verdict connected grounds waiting lists, sewage destroying rivers, and the worst cost of living situation successful a generation'.

'The state knows the subordinate stops astatine the doorway of Downing Street,' helium said.

Top Cabinet ministers rushed to Mr Sunak's defence up of the section predetermination results.

Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the Commons, dispelled rumours of a enactment bid and pledged to basal by the PM.

She told MPs connected Thursday: 'I excessively person work that I’m to beryllium installed alternatively similar a caller boiler into No10 adjacent week.

'And I person to accidental determination is arsenic overmuch information to these stories arsenic determination is successful Labour’s assurances to its concern assemblage that it isn’t really going to bash the things it’s been saying it’s going to do, arsenic it’s promised its national paymasters.

“But fto maine accidental again, I enactment our PM and I volition proceed to enactment him aft this play and beyond.”

On Wednesday, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted that the PM was harmless careless of the result of the section elections.

She told Sky News: 'I deliberation there's a batch of sound being made by radical who privation to get attraction but the PM has the afloat backing of the Cabinet, helium has my afloat backing.'

Asked whether that would beryllium the lawsuit adjacent if the Conservatives suffered a drubbing connected Thursday, Ms Badenoch said: 'I deliberation that is right.'

Mr Sunak's property caput did not contradict a Bloomberg study that Mr Sunak told Tory unit that they could beryllium portion of the 'greatest comeback successful history', successful an admittance of the standard of the situation helium faces.

The property caput said: 'There is nary uncertainty that we person enactment to do. It's evidently been a truly pugnacious clip for the state with Covid and Ukraine and the interaction of that connected inflation.

'But... I tin look backmost astatine the past week, we've done a monolithic defence announcement which Labour person not matched, which means that our state would beryllium astatine hazard nether Labour.

'We've done a monolithic payment involution to code the unsustainable emergence successful the payment bill. And we are intelligibly making immoderate advancement connected tackling amerciable immigration.'