Voting starts in multiple elections across UK

Millions of British voters are heading to polling stations Thursday in England, Scotland and Wales to elect new local representatives and new members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In 140 councils across England, 4,350 seats will be up for grabs, whereas all seats of Scotland’s 32 and Wales’ 22 councils will be contested.

Northern Irish voters will vote to fill their 90-seat local parliament.

Higher inflation and the cost of living crisis are the two main problems in the UK which may prompt voters to decide their votes. The vote will also show how voters react to the illegal parties held at Downing Street during the coronavirus lockdown by the most senior party leaders.

The elections will start at 7 a.m. and polling stations will close at 10 p.m.

The counting in England will start after 10 p.m. and results could start coming in as early as midnight. However, a clearer picture will come midday Friday with more votes counted.

In Scotland and Wales, the counts will begin Friday, and the earliest results are expected in the afternoon, with more results in the evening.

The count in Northern Ireland will also start at 9 a.m. on Friday and first results are expected around lunchtime.