Key areas to watch for this afternoon in Englandpublished at 13:56 BST

13:56 BST

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

There has been a lull in results from English councils in the last few hours, but the pace is about to pick up again. We are still less than halfway through in terms of declared results.

The pieces of the jigsaw are gradually being laid and the picture that is developing is a bad one for Labour and the Conservatives and a very good one for Reform UK.

Expect that trend to continue with Nigel Farage's party targeting more Labour heartlands like Sunderland - home of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson - areas of West Yorkshire like Wakefield, and Birmingham.

But through the afternoon there are some other key areas to keep an eye on.

The Liberal Democrats are hoping for gains in some of the county councils like West Surrey. And the Green's main targets in London are still to come.

So there may be more evidence of the fragmentation of politics that we've already seen.

With 62 of 136 England councils now declared, here's a quick look at the state of play:

Image source, PA Media

Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan is expected to lose her seat in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency, multiple sources tell the BBC.

Separately, a Labour spokesperson tells the BBC that the party is expecting to return only "around 10" Senedd members - it had 30 before this election.

• Follow live coverage of the Welsh Senedd elections here

Seismic result in Shetland Islandspublished at 13:48 BST

13:48 BST

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

As we've just been reporting, the SNP has gained the Shetland Islands from the Liberal Democrats.

This is a seismic result for the SNP.

The last time Shetland was represented by anyone other than a Liberal was in 1950.

The SNP has been campaigning hard in Shetland for a number of years. Famously, they spent more money campaigning in the by-election here in 2019 than they did on the whole of the Brexit referendum.

But really this is down to the hard graft of a good local candidate in Hannah Goodlad.

She works for a Norwegian energy company and runs a mobile sauna business and, as such, will be one of the few SNP MSPs who doesn't come with prior political experience.

One local suggested he'd voted for her because she'd put a terrific effort into her campaign, demonstrating her genuine commitment to, and understanding of, the community.

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

We've now crossed the 60 council mark in England, with dozens of councils still to declare.

While news is starting to come in from the election in Scotland too, here's a summary of what's been happening since our last recap.

In England:

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he "won't walk away" after Labour's poor performance overnight. While Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch insists her party is showing "signs of renewal everywhere"
• Meanwhile opposition party leaders Ed Davey, Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski, have been praising their performance across the country - here's what they've been saying

And some recent results:

• Labour has lost control of Blackburn with Darwen council, in north-west England. A seat gain of nine for Reform has left no party in overall control there
• Reform UK has taken control of Essex Council Council from the Conservatives, bagging 39 seats and gaining a majority before counting had finished

• In Hackney, the Green Party has secured its first ever mayor. Newly-elected Zoë Garbett said the campaign had taught her that "Hackney rejects hate and division"

In Scotland:

• Results are starting to trickle in from the Scottish Parliament election. The first declared result was in the Orkney Islands - which the Liberal Democrats held onto
• The Scottish National Party have taken the Shetland Islands from the Lib Dems - and held onto seats in Dundee City West and Aberdeen Central

In Wales:

• We've not had any formal declarations for Welsh Senedd seats yet - those are expected shortly
• But Labour's deputy first minister has told the BBC that his party is "not going to be" in the position to form the next government there

Labour has lost control of Blackburn with Darwen council in the north-west of England.

Labour has lost 11 seats in these elections - with no parties in overall control.

Reform UK has gained nine seats and independent councillors gained six - but no party has secured the 26 seats needed for an overall majority.

Three results have just been declared in Scotland.

The SNP has gained the Shetland Islands from the Liberal Democrats. The party has also held its seats in Dundee City West and Aberdeen Central.

Support for Greens rises in wards with young voterspublished at 13:09 BST

13:09 BST

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

Image source, Reuters

Support for the Greens has risen more markedly in wards with large numbers of 16 to 24-year-olds, and therefore its share of the vote is much higher in these wards.

Its vote is at 26% in the most "youthful" wards but only 13% in those with the fewest numbers of 16 to 24-year-olds.

The rise in Green support in more youthful wards in England's local elections seems to have occurred at Labour's expense: Labour's vote is down by 16 points in places with the most young people, compared with just six points in wards with the fewest.

However, this pattern has not fully reversed Labour's tendency to perform better in places with younger people - this is still true.

Ben Hatton
Live reporter

We're more than a fifth of the way through the count in England's council elections.

We've now heard from all the leaders of the main Westminster parties. Here's a quick overview:

Labour: Starmer won't 'walk away' after 'very tough' results

Image source, PA Media

"There's no sugarcoating it," Starmer says, after big losses for Labour. "When voters send a message like this we must reflect and we must respond," he says, but adds he's not "going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos".

Reform UK: Farage hails 'historic shift'

Image source, EPA

"It’s a big, big day, not just for our party, but for a complete reshaping of British politics in every way," the Reform UK leader says. He says the trend so far shows Labour is being "wiped out" by his party, and he's also been talking up his prospects in Conservative heartland seats due later.

Conservatives: Badenoch says 'good strategy takes time'

Image source, EPA

"I’m not saying that we’re there yet. I’m not saying that the results are perfect," the Conservative leader says, adding " good strategy takes time". But Badenoch says there are "signs of renewal" for her party and she's "very proud" of the results.

Lib Dems: 'Great results to come'

Image source, Getty Images

The Lib Dem leader says his party is "feeling very bullish", adding they've "still got great results to come". "Both the Conservatives and Labour need to smell the coffee - the old parties are out," he says.

Green Party: Two-party politics 'dead' and 'buried'

Image source, Reuters

Party leader Zack Polanski says two-party politics "is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried". He also hails the party securing its first directly elected mayor, in Hackney, east London, as a "historic victory".

Counting began in Scotland and Wales earlier this morning - we'll have results and reaction from those parliamentary elections throughout the day.

More now from Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

He says the new politics is "Greens versus Reform", pointing to his party's success in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election. He says the party's vote share is rising "right across the country".

Asked whether the Green Party is splitting the progressive vote, he says the idea that the government is progressive is "for the birds", accusing Labour of continuing austerity.

The Greens offer a "tangible plan for change" alongside "hope", he says.

We're just hearing from Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

Earlier, the party secured its first directly elected mayor, in Hackney, east London - which he calls a "historic victory".

It shows two-party politics "is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried", he says.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just had the first result through in Scotland - a Liberal Democrat hold in the Orkney Islands.

Unlike in England yesterday, where voters picked local councillors and some mayors - voters in Scotland had to decide who they wanted to govern the country.

They did so by picking Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) - and all 129 seats in Holyrood were up for grabs.

Of that total, 73 represent local areas known as constituencies.

The remaining MSPs are drawn from eight regions, which together cover the whole of Scotland. Each region elects seven MSPs.

The regions are:

• Central Scotland and Lothians West
• Edinburgh and Lothians East
• Glasgow
• Highlands and Islands
• Mid Scotland and Fife
• North East Scotland
• South Scotland
• West Scotland

This means that people in Scotland are each represented by eight MSPs - one representing their constituency, and another seven representing their region.

The first seat has just been declared in Scotland.

The Liberal Democrats have held the Orkney Islands, with candidate Liam McArthur securing 7,221 votes - over 70% of the vote.

The SNP came in second with 1,661.

The seat has traditionally been a Liberal Democrat stronghold.

SNP expected to be largest party - but Swinney isn't home and dry yetpublished at 12:23 BST

12:23 BST

James Cook
Scotland editor

Image source, PA Media

A senior Scottish National Party (SNP) source tells me that attaining a majority in this election is now regarded as "possible but improbable."

Leader John Swinney spent much of the campaign talking up the prospect of an outright victory, despite the fact that the electoral system makes that hard at Holyrood where minority or coalition government is the norm.

So what happens if the SNP does not win the 65 seats needed for a majority, especially in terms of its push for independence?

Swinney's core support is impatient for constitutional change, but he knows that confidence in SNP governance and support for leaving the UK are linked.

He has already spent two years trying to stabilise his party after a period of turbulence. If he is re-elected as first minister, he is likely to continue that project - perhaps by promising voters to focus relentlessly on cutting poverty, making life more affordable and fixing the NHS.

Most people would see those as worthy aims, but for the nationalists they have the added advantage of providing a more stable platform from which to press their case for independence.

One other factor is important. The SNP is gazing to the south and wondering if results there suggest that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage might, in time, end up in Downing Street.

Polls suggest that would push up support for Scottish independence, possibly putting the issue front and centre in the campaign for the next general election, which must be held by August 2029.

Of course, Swinney isn't home and dry yet. The counting continues.

• We're still awaiting results in Scotland - follow the latest from our colleagues in Glasgow here

Reform UK has gained control of Essex County Council from the Conservatives, securing the 39 seats needed for a majority.

Meanwhile, the Tories have eight seats, a 30-seat drop from the last elections.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour is not going to form the next Welsh government, its deputy first minister tells the BBC.

Asked if Welsh Labour were going to be in a position to form a government, with Eluned Morgan as first minister, Huw Irranca-Davies replies: “I don't think we're going to be in that situation."

“We have tried to argue on policies and also the next chapter for Wales," he tells BBC Wales.

“But if it hasn't cut through to the people of Wales, we're not going to be in that position then to actually form the next government.”

If Labour does lose the Senedd - as is expected - it would end its 27-year-long rule in Wales.

• Our colleagues in Cardiff are running a separate live page taking in the Welsh results - follow that here

A bit more now from Hackney, where the Green Party has just secured first directly elected mayor, Zoë Garbett.

"Today we start the fight back in this election over and over people kept telling me that they felt let down," she says.

She says that "council services are failing those who need them most and people are struggling to make ends meet".

Garbett says that she's "been through so many spaces throughout this campaign that show that Hackney rejects hate and division".

Image source, PA Media

The mayoral race in Hackney, east London - a former Labour stronghold - has just been called.

The Green Party's candidate Zoë Garbett has won.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

Image source, EPA

The first constituency figure on the turnout in Scotland shows a two-point fall.

If this proves to be the pattern across the country, turnout will be around 60%, repeating the relatively high turnout in 2021.

• As a reminder, we're not expecting results in the Scottish Parliament elections until this afternoon - follow the latest here

Image source, Getty Images

BBC teams across the country are running a number of live pages covering the results from elections in England, Wales and Scotland.

Our colleagues in Scotland are reporting on the latest updates of the Scottish Parliament elections, while our team in Wales is providing live coverage of the Senedd elections..

BBC Cymru Fyw are also providing Welsh language coverage of the Senedd elections.

In England, our regional teams are running local pages on the results from the 136 council elections and six mayoral races. You can find them all by clicking the links below:

• London & South East England
• South of England
• West of England
• North West England
• North East England

• South Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire
• Birmingham and the Black Country
• Coventry and Warwickshire
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Essex
• Herts and Milton Keynes
• Norfolk
• Suffolk

James Kelly
BBC News

Image source, Supplied

You've been telling us how you voted in yesterday's elections - and why. Here's a quick look at a few responses we've had so far.

Andriy "Andy" Sukhodub says he voted for Reform UK despite having reservations about the party's stance on immigration.

The 55-year-old, from Dundee, who was born in Ukraine, says he is "disgusted" by the mainstream parties and claimed they had betrayed "hard working people".

Timothy Pye says he voted Labour to "keep Reform out".

The 68-year-old from Oldbury says electoral reform is needed to fix the UK's "fractured system".

Lindsay Beaton, 67, from Preston, says she voted Green after briefly flirting with the idea of tactical voting.

She says she was considering voting Conservative for the first time "as they were the only party with a chance of beating Reform in my local council constituency", but changed her mind in order to "follow my principles".

Meanwhile, politics student Luke McNamara voted for the first time in Woking, saying it was "an amazing experience" to take part in democracy.

He says he voted for the Liberal Democrats, calling them a "tactical choice".

• We've got more details on how to get in touch here