3 h. ago Find your nearest local election 2025 polling station and which constituency you are in

Use our interactive map to find out where local elections are taking place near you

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3 h. ago What are the polling station opening hours for the 2025 local elections?

Labour's first test since winning the General Election last July gets underway this week

Politics

3 h. ago The Tories have shown Labour exactly how not to fight Farage | Rafael Behr

As local elections loom, it’s clear that years of agreeing with the Reform leader have failed to discourage people from voting for himIn the playbook of election strategies, there are two canonical campaigns. Incumbents say things are going in the right direction; don’t let the opposition screw it up! Challengers say everything is screwed up already; it’s time for change!There is a less orthodox, third option, innovated by the Conservatives in competition with whichever party Nigel Farage happens to be leading: our opponent is right; don’t vote for him.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Mapped: Every council where local elections have been postponed

Reform and the Greens have accused the government of denying democracy, while the Liberal Democrats have accused Labour and the Conservatives of a ‘disgraceful stitch-up’

Politics

19 h. ago Phasing out fossil fuels ‘doomed to fail’, says Tony Blair as he calls for rethink of net zero policy – UK politics live

‘Any strategy based on either phasing out fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail,’ says former PMSeverin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor.Keir Starmer is not expected to campaign in the Hamilton byelection, a critical contest for Scottish Labour which takes place in early June, Anas Sarwar has confirmed.I wouldn’t expect Keir to be campaigning in the byelection. That’s not to say he won’t, but I’m not expecting Kier to campaign in the byelection.I’ll be on the stump campaigning for a Labour win. I’m the candidate for first minister next year. I’m the one that wants to remove the SNP from government.Next year, we’ve got to demonstrate to people that for all Nigel Farage might want to come here with his easy answers and create a bit of a circus, the reality is a vote for Reform only helps the SNP. If you want to get rid of the SNP, only Scottish Labour can beat them. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago Plan to phase out fossil fuels ‘doomed to fail’, says Tony Blair as he calls for rethink of net zero policy – UK politics live

‘Any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail,’ says former PMSeverin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor.Keir Starmer is not expected to campaign in the Hamilton byelection, a critical contest for Scottish Labour which takes place in early June, Anas Sarwar has confirmed.I wouldn’t expect Keir to be campaigning in the byelection. That’s not to say he won’t, but I’m not expecting Kier to campaign in the byelection.I’ll be on the stump campaigning for a Labour win. I’m the candidate for first minister next year. I’m the one that wants to remove the SNP from government.Next year, we’ve got to demonstrate to people that for all Nigel Farage might want to come here with his easy answers and create a bit of a circus, the reality is a vote for Reform only helps the SNP. If you want to get rid of the SNP, only Scottish Labour can beat them. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago Mapped: Where all local elections 2025 are taking place this week

The polling booths will open in less than three days

Politics

3 d. ago Key seats to watch in the 2025 local elections and why they matter

Will a string of controversial policies be Labour’s downfall at the ballot box? And will Reform surge ahead leaving the Tories in their wake as pollsters predict? Kate Devlin looks at where the votes will count the most on May 1

Politics

5 d. ago Local elections 2025: Guide to every council and mayoral contest

A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs across 23 local authorities.

Politics

7 d. ago The left is rising, and the far right is reeling. Will I finally see the Finland I dreamed of? | Mike Watson

My adopted home has been a dark place of late. But in last week’s local elections, voters turned against cruel politics – and raised hopes of a more progressive futureThe Finns say “spring comes in swinging” – when winter gives way to spring, and green shoots meet the final flurries of snow, often well into April. In Finnish politics, too, some hope is beginning to emerge after a long, dark winter.In municipal, regional and mayoral elections held across the country last week, rightwing populist parties were roundly defeated, while parties on the left gained ground. In particular, the far-right Finns party saw its vote share collapse, from 20% in the general election of 2023 to as low as 7.6% now. This leaves the coalition government of which it forms a part severely weakened and the centre-left Social Democratic party (SDP) with the biggest vote share nationwide (23%). When the Finns party leader, Riikka Purra, admitted defeat on results night, she complained that a punainen aalto, ...

Politics

9 d. ago Local elections 2025: Tories face losing hundreds of seats, top election expert suggests

In an article for The Mirror, Professor Sir John Curtice says Conservatives have the 'most to lose' when voters head to the ballot box in local elections on May 1

Politics

2 w. ago Local elections 2025: Everything you need to know as millions to vote in May

Everything you need to know about the local elections are taking place across the UK in May

Politics

4 w. ago Local elections 2025: Guide to locations, timings and key numbers

There are 23 local authorities holding elections, including 14 county councils.

Politics