Election results so far at a glance - and what's still to come

Reform UK has made significant gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives in early council election results overnight.

The polls across Scotland, Wales and 136 English councils are the biggest set of elections since the 2024 general election and a key test for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The full picture will emerge later as most councils are not counting overnight and are due to announce results later on Friday, along with results for the Senedd and Scottish Parliament.

Here are the key developments so far - and what's still to come.

Reform UK has been picking up seats in former Labour heartlands in the north of England and the Midlands, including Wigan, Bolton, Salford and Halton.

In Hartlepool, Tameside, Redditch and Tamworth Labour lost control of the council as support for Reform surged.

The last time these councils were up for election, Reform was in its infancy, so it's only possible for the party to win majority control in areas where all seats are being contested.

For most councils counting overnight, only a third of seats were up for election, so the party's best chance of winning power could be later in the day.

Reform also made gains at the expense of the Conservatives in places like Brentwood, Tamworth and North East Lincolnshire.

Overall, the Tories have lost seats but there were some bright spots, including in Harlow in Essex, where the party held the council.

In Wandsworth, the Tories gained seats from Labour to become the largest party again and they face another battle to win back Westminster.

The two areas of London had previously been flagship Conservative councils and under the party's control for decades until 2022, when they were won by Labour.

The party continues to face a threat from Reform UK in county council elections like Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, which declare results later.

Meanwhile, in parts of southern England including Surrey and Sussex, it is the Liberal Democrats who pose the biggest challenge to the Tories.

It was a mixed set of results for the Liberal Democrats overnight.

They won control of Stockport and Portsmouth, where they were already the largest party, picking up seats from Labour.

But in Hull, Reform UK gains saw the Lib Dems lose control of the council.

The party believes its best results could come later, when it is hoping to win control of councils from the Conservatives in Hampshire and Surrey.

The Green Party of England and Wales has picked up some seats overnight in places like Salford, Oxford, Southampton and Exeter, where Labour lost control of the council.

But the party's key targets are in London and the areas where they probably have the best chance of winning control of the council - Hackney and Lewisham - are not due to declare results until later.

Reform UK is also hoping to make gains in areas of London declaring later, including the outer boroughs of Bromley and Barking & Dagenham.

For the Conservatives, Barnet, in north London, is another flagship council they're hoping to win back from Labour.

Elsewhere, Reform UK is targeting former Labour strongholds in the north of England and the Midlands like Sunderland, Gateshead and Walsall.

In Birmingham - where the council is currently run by Labour - the new fragmented political landscape is on full display.

All the five main parties have a presence and with polls suggesting strong support for pro-Palestinian independents, the result later could leave the city under no overall control for the first time in more than a decade.

After more than a century of being the biggest party in Westminster and Cardiff Bay elections, Labour is facing the prospect of losing its dominance in Wales.

Multiple party sources have told the BBC they expect to lose the Senedd election.

Disillusionment with the incumbent party means it is Plaid Cymru and Reform UK vying for first place.

Meanwhile, the Greens are hoping to win their first Senedd seat, as the Welsh Liberal Democrats aim to increase their number from a single seat.

While Wales is not traditionally an area of strength for the Conservatives, the party looks set for considerable losses.

There are also expected to be heavy losses for Labour in Scotland, where the Scottish National Party are aiming to win an unprecedented fifth successive term.

Reform UK - which currently has no representation in Holyrood - is challenging Labour for second place, with the Conservatives expected to lose seats.

Both the Greens and the Liberal Democrats are hoping to make gains as the dominance of main parties fragments.

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