Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

"In the areas where Labour were strong, voters are swinging away from Labour. Similarly, they're swinging away from Conservatives in areas where they were strong.

Basically voters are saying: 'We are sufficiently unhappy that we are going to take it out on whoever is the incumbent.'

This must be a warning that if voters are in this mood when it comes to the European elections they may use the Brexit Party and Change UK to express that discontent."

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

I think the Conservatives will still be the main party of government in the East, but the big story seems to be the Liberal Democrats.

They've made gains in Braintree and Southend; they are making gains in Chelmsford, have taken a seat from the Greens in Cambridge, and seem to be confident of taking control of North Norfolk.

The smiles are on the faces of the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives? I am not sure they are smiling.

Labour's Barry Gardiner clashes with Conservative minister James Cleverly on local election night - over Brexit.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson says her party is showing signs of a "fightback".

BBC News Channel

The Green Party co-leader Sian Berry describes tonight's results as "very exciting".

She notes that the Greens are picking up seats in "places you would not expect" such as South Tyneside and St Helens.

"We are getting elected in places that voted for Brexit," she says.

"It could be confusing but it is because the Greens are working hard, listening to people knocking on doors and dealing with issues.

"We are dealing with the problems that led to Brexit - big councils dominated by one party taking people for granted while central government ignores swathes of the party."

BBC News Channel

"I'm a bit puzzled," admits BBC South's political editor Peter Henley speaking from Portsmouth.

"Nothing has happened at all," he says

"For weeks in the campaign everybody was saying there was vitriol toward local politicians because of what was happening nationally.

"It hasn't happened at all.

"Perhaps it was because there were plenty of local issues for people to get their teeth into such as parking schemes."

BBC News Channel

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi says his message to colleagues is "we need to deliver on Brexit."

He says the Conservatives "are being punished" for not doing so.

The first mayoral election result has come in, for Middlesbrough.

Andy Preston, the independent candidate, will take over from the current mayor who is Labour.

BBC News Channel

Lib Dem Christine Jardine says her party has done well because "people are fed up of the mess government has made with Brexit and Labour has not provided an alternative."

Labour's Dawn Butler argues it is "too early to identify a trend" but adds that she can "understand the frustrations of people".

Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey said his party is having an "awesome night" thanks to voters rejecting Labour and the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems' vote is up on average by eight points as compared with 2015.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

It is beginning to look as though there is a notable variation in Labour's performance between the north and the south of England.

Compared with 2015, Labour's vote is down on average by five points in the north of England, while it is up by three points in the south.

Similarly, though less dramatically, Labour's vote is down by eight points compared with last year in the north of England but by a more modest five points in the south of England.

This pattern - if it continues - may well exacerbate the division between northern and more southern MPs about how the party should respond to Brexit.

It also means that as more southern councils declare tomorrow, we could find that Labour's performance looks a little better by the end of tomorrow afternoon.

Senior Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady says "some local issues have been cutting through".

However, he adds that "it has also undoubtedly been hard to get our vote to turn out and that is because of dissatisfaction with the national scene."

Sir Graham is chair of the influential 1922 committee, which represents backbench Conservative MPs.

The committee has urged Theresa May to be clear about whether or not she will remain in office if she fails to get her Brexit plan through.

He says conversation on the subject would have been "deeply unhelpful" in the run-up to the local elections.

But he says now those elections are "out of the way", he expects to hear a response from the PM "in the near future".