Night of Tory turmoil ahead? Labour hold onto Sunderland while Reform UK boast ... trends now

The first results have been declared in local elections that could decide Rishi Sunak's fate - as well as being a final test of voter opinion ahead of the looming Westminster contest.

The Prime Minister - and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer - are nervously awaiting the outcome of council elections across 107 local authorities in England.

In early results, Labour retained its majority on Sunderland City Council by holding four of the 12 seats it was defending.

The performance of Reform UK will also be keenly scrutinised throughout the night, as they look to take on the Conservatives in parts of the country.

The insurgent party's leader Richard Tice boasted Reform were outperforming the Tories in Sunderland and expected to beat them in a majority of seats on the council.

In the first few seats to be declared, Reform came second behind Labour. 

Voting also took place on Thursday in 11 mayoral contests, 37 police and crime commissioner elections, and a parliamentary by-election in Blackpool South.

Tories fear they could lose up to half of the council seats they are defending.

Mayoral battles in Tees Valley and the West Midlands will also be a key barometer of Conservative and Labour fortunes ahead of the general election.

In London, Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to win an historic third term in City Hall despite a challenge by Tory rival Susan Hall over ULEZ and crime rates.

The Conservatives are predicted to lose to Labour in Blackpool South, which would be the seventh Westminster by-election the party has lost with Mr Sunak as PM.

There are some concerns in Tory ranks that the party might even finish third behind Reform, the Nigel Farage-backed outfit, in the Lancashire seat.

Conservative rebels are poised to pounce on a dismal night for Mr Sunak by mounting a fresh effort to oust the PM from No10 in the coming days.

Sir Keir will be hoping for a strong performance from Labour - particularly in key 'Red Wall' areas - to show they are on track for power at Westminster. 

The first council election results came shortly after midnight, while the mayoral results aren't due to be announced until Friday afternoon.

The Blackpool South declaration should come in the early hours of Friday morning.

As polls closed tonight, Labour MP Pat McFadden MP, the party's national campaign coordinator, said: 'The most important election of the night is the historic by-election in Blackpool, caused by yet more Tory chaos and scandal.

'It's the only election today where voters have had the opportunity to directly reject Rishi Sunak's party in Westminster.

'It's going to be a long night and the full picture of results from local elections may not be clear until over the weekend, but we expect to see Labour gains that show we're making progress in the places we need to win the next general election.'

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also sought to pile the pressure on Mr Sunak, saying: 'Up and down the country, so many lifelong Conservative voters backed the Liberal Democrats today'.

Every voter in England and Wales was able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election before 10pm on Thursday.

There were 2,600 council seats in England up for grabs across 107 authorities.

Many of the seats were last fought in 2021 - a year in which the Conservatives did particularly well in local elections at a high point in Boris Johnson's premiership.

The Tory slump since then was demonstrated by the latest YouGov poll, published on Thursday, showing the party on 18 per cent with Labour on 44 per cent.

This was the lowest Conservative vote share of this Parliament, lower than under Liz Truss, when it sank to 19 per cent.

The survey of 2,010 British voters, conducted between April 30 and May 1, also showed the Tories only three percentage points ahead of Reform on 15 per cent.

As well as the mayoral contest in London between Mr Khan and Ms Hall, there are also likely to be close-run battles in Tees Valley and the West Midlands.

Polls suggested narrow contests between Conservative incumbents Ben Houchen and Andy Street, respectively, and their Labour rivals.

The result of the Blackpool South by-election is likely to be declared just before dawn breaks on Friday, with Labour tipped to take it from the Tories.

The parliamentary contest was prompted by the resignation of former Tory MP Scott Benton from the House of Commons after he was caught up in a lobbying sting.

The Conservatives won the Lancashire seat at the 2019 general election, with Mr Benton as the party's candidate, with a more than 3,500-vote majority. 

But Labour have overturned significantly greater Tory majorities in recent by-election contests in Kingswood, Wellingborough, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty.

On Thursday, Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata posed for pictures out campaigning in Chelsea, while Sir Keir went to vote in London with wife Victoria.

Other politicians gave a glimpse into their family lives, with Mr Houchen carrying his baby into a polling station in Tees Valley.

Both main parties sought to manage expectations ahead of polling day, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisting governments can get 'punished' in local elections.

He told Sky News: 'Tony Blair easily lost those amounts of councillors. 

'And, you know, David Cameron lost hundreds of councillors in the run up to the 2015 general election.

'So, you know, we are expecting to see significant losses. That often happens in local elections.

'But what we say

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