Millions Head to the Polls Across the UK to Elect Local Leaders

A Union Jack flag flies behind a sign pointing to a polling station in London, England, on May 5, 2022. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Local elections are under way across the UK, as millions of people cast their ballots to select their local representatives.

In England, more than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils are standing for election in major cities including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, and all 32 London boroughs.

All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales are also holding elections. In Northern Ireland, voters are going to the polls across 18 constituencies to elect 90 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in London, on May 5, 2022. Dan Kitwood /Getty Images

After casting his ballot at a polling station in Westminster early on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted a video on Twitter, in which he said he voted for his party because “it’s Conservatives who deliver, Conservatives who get the bins collected.”

There have been predictions that the Conservative Party could lose hundreds of council seats as a result of the so-called “partygate” scandal in Downing Street, which has seen Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak fined for joining gatherings during lockdown in violation of COVID-19 laws.

But Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden sought to emphasise that the elections are about local governance rather than what happened in Westminster.

In a statement to mark polls opening, he said: “The choice couldn’t be starker—between Conservatives who keep council tax down and offer good services, or the opposition parties who waste money on political games and vanity projects.”

Education minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News that she believes Johnson, who has faced calls for him to resign over partygate, is “an asset, not a liability” in elections.

Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria leave a polling station after casting their vote in local elections, in London, on May 5, 2022. Daniel Leal /AFP via Getty Images

After casting his vote in Kentish Town, north London, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wrote on Twitter: “Today is our chance to send the Tories a message they can’t ignore: Britain deserves better.”

He used his election rallying call to highlight the “constant drip-drip of sleaze and scandal” in Johnson’s administration.

Starmer said the government had broken the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus regulations they had put in place “over and over again” and said the Tory “failure” to tackle the cost-of-living crisis had been a “disgrace.”

PA Media contributed to this report.