Local elections 2023 – live: Voters head to the polls as Sunak faces first electoral test
Voters are heading to the polls in local elections taking place across most of England as Rishi Sunak faces his first electoral test as prime minister.
Mr Sunak predicted a “hard night” for his party at the ballot box, but said that the Conservatives were now moving away from “box set drama” politics.
The local elections are also likely to be the final set of polls before the next general election, with the results expected to give an indication of whether Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer could be on course for Downing Street.
Mr Sunak’s pre-polling day comments came at an Onward think tank event on Wednesday evening.
He said that his administration had worked to improve the economy and move away from the “box set drama” of what went before his premiership, in what appeared to be a reference to predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Key Points
Fears even voters with ID could be turned away under new rules
Voters head to polls
Main parties ramp up expectation management
Local authortity and mayoral contests take place in England
Labour candidate suspended over tweet accusing member of royal family of being sex offender
11:17 , Matt Mathers
A Labour council candidate who campaigned alongside senior party figures has been suspended over a tweet accusing a member of the royal family of being a sex offender.
A post on the profile of David Beckett, who has been on the campaign trail with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and chairwoman Anneliese Dodds, said he would not give affirmation to a “n****”.
A source said he was “swiftly” suspended from the party and that Labour “does not condone” his views. The tweet was in response to the news Britons will be invited to swear allegiance to King Charles during his Coronation on Saturday.
Archie Mitchell reports:
Labour candidate suspended over tweet accusing royal of being sex offender
Voters can use expired ID at polling stations - as long as it looks like them
10:03 , Matt Mathers
Voters can use an expired ID at polling stations - as long as it still looks like them, the Electoral Commission’s director of communications has said.
Speaking on Sky News, Craig Westwood confirmed that expired photo IDs including passports, driving licences, and disability blue badges could be used to vote in local elections on Thursday as long as the picture looked like the user.
He said: “There is a specific list of around 20 (forms of ID) so I urge people to check that list.
“One important thing is that I have not checked the dates on your IDs but what I can say is that they all look like you and that’s the really important thing.
“If you’ve got an ID which has expired that doesn’t matter as long as it still looks like you.”
Tory MP vows to ‘fight on’ against Dorset asylum barge as vessel is towed towards UK
09:30 , Matt Mathers
A Conservative MP has vowed to “fight on” against the use of a barge to house 500 asylum seekers in Dorset, as it is towed to the UK.
The Bibby Stockholm is due to arrive in Cornwall later this week, and will be refitted and undergo checks before being moved to Portland Port.
The Independent understands that asylum seekers are not expected to be moved on board until late June or July, as the Home Office continues a divisive campaign to transfer asylum seekers out of hotels into ships and military bases.
Lizzie Dearden reports:
Tory MP vows to ‘fight on’ against asylum barge being towed towards UK
Starmer accused of being ‘shifty’ over timeline of Sue Gray hire
09:10 , Matt Mathers
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of being “shifty” over questions about Sue Gray and has been urged to “fess up” about when contact with her about a top Labour job was first made.
The opposition leader has repeatedly refused to disclose the timeline of the talks held with the partygate investigator about her becoming his chief of staff.
Levelling up secretary Michael Gove said Sir Keir was “avoiding the question” when it came to divulging when the job offer was made to the former senior civil servant.
Patrick Daly reports:
Starmer accused of being ‘shifty’ over timeline of Sue Gray hire
Opposing views should be heard, says Yousaf after Cherry’s Fringe event axed
08:50 , Matt Mathers
Humza Yousaf has said he hopes a compromise can be found which will allow SNP MP Joanna Cherry’s Edinburgh Fringe show to go ahead.
An event due to be held at the Stand comedy club in which Ms Cherry was to be interviewed as part of a series has been cancelled.
The club said “key operational staff” had raised concerns about the MP’s views and made clear they did not want to work at the event.
Neil Pooran reports:
Opposing views should be heard, says Yousaf after Cherry’s Fringe event axed
In pictures: Voters head to the polls
08:31 , Matt Mathers
Conservatives and Labour ramp up expectation management
08:00 , Matt Mathers
Both the Conservatives and Labour have been ramping up their respective expectation management efforts on how the local election results will pan out.
CCHQ insists the Tories will lose 1,000 seats while Labour says they will gain 400 - figures that have been dismissed by experts as too high and too low.
Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, told the Politico website that if the Conservatives “are above 28 percent they have done better than they did in 2019. If they’re at 25 percent that’s the worst they’ve ever done.”
For Labour, “38 percent-plus is a really good yardstick because it is the best they did in this spell of opposition under Ed Miliband in 2012... If it’s lower than 38, questions start being asked of ‘is this good enough to deliver the sort of swings we need next year.’”
Voter ID explained: What are the new rules at polling stations for local elections?
07:43 , Matt Mathers
Voters in the UK will be required to present photo identification to prove they are who they say they are when they arrive at polling stations, after a change in the law instigated by the UK government.
The new stricture came in as part of the Elections Act 2022, first trailed in the Queen’s Speech of May 2021 and passed by parliament last April in the interest of improving election security. It will not apply to those voting by post.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
What are the new rules on voter ID at polling stations?
Where are elections taking place?
07:38 , Matt Mathers
A total of 230 local authorities are holding contests on 4 May, ranging from small rural councils to some of the largest towns and cities – though no elections are scheduled in London or Birmingham.
Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.
Ian Jones reports:
2023 local elections: When and where are they taking place?
Fears ‘Trumpian’ rules could even see voters with ID turned away as UK goes to polls
07:33 , Matt Mathers
Senior Conservatives have expressed concern that even voters with photo ID risk being turned away from polling booths if new rules are strictly applied at local elections on Thursday.
Former cabinet ministers urged staff manning polling stations to be “flexible” when judging a likeness against old photographs.
The government is already under pressure over the law following warnings that more than a million people could be unable to vote as they do not have a valid form of ID.
Kate Devlin and Archie Mitchell report:
Senior Tories express fears even voters with photo ID risk being turned away
Polls open
07:27 , Matt Mathers
Polls have opened across England, with Rishi Sunak set to face his first major electoral test since entering No10 just over six months ago.
The prime minister predicted a “hard night” for his party at the local elections, but said that the Conservatives were now moving away from “box set drama” politics.
The local elections are also likely to be the final set of polls before the next general election, with the results expected to give an indication of whether Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer could be on course for Downing Street.
Full report:
Rishi Sunak predicts ‘hard night’ for Tories as he faces local elections test
07:23 , Matt Mathers
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.
Today we’ll be covering the local elections as voters head to the polls across England.
We’ll also bring you all the latest developments from Westminster and elsewhere.
Stay tuned.
