Labour candidate Nik Johnson has won the race to be the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor with 51.3% of the vote.

The seat had been held by Conservative James Palmer - and he did secure more votes in the first round.

However, Johnson picked up enough second preferences to overtake his rival.

In the last election in 2017, Labour were only in third place in the mayoral race.

Why have some counties not held elections? These are showing as a pale grey area on BBC mapspublished at 18:50 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:50 BST 8 May 2021

Question from Rebecca

There are a number of different elections happening this year – more than usual because some have been postponed from last year.

But different authorities and posts hold elections after different time periods – and not all local government elections take place at the same time, they are staggered across different years.

Scotland 'divided down the middle' on independencepublished at 18:42 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:42 BST 8 May 2021

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

Once both sides finish celebrating their victories and commiserating on their failures, they should conclude that this election confirmed the message of the opinion polls: Scotland is divided straight down the middle on the constitutional question.

It is clear this question really matters – note the big turnout, and the tactical voting among unionist parties in order to keep the SNP out.

The unionists have been able to stop the SNP getting an overall majority – despite Nicola Sturgeon's party getting a record vote share in the constituencies.

It is pretty clear from the polls that virtually anybody who votes for the SNP and the Greens is in favour of independence, and virtually anybody who votes for Labour, the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats is opposed.

Add up the voters’ totals for each side when we get them and it will be close to a 50-50 divide. So we are well and truly split over the constitutional question.

Therefore if we were to have a referendum at any point in the near future, both Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon would be taking the most enormous political gamble.

What was the turnout in Hartlepool for the by-election compared with the General Election of 2019?published at 18:38 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:38 BST 8 May 2021

Question from Simon in London

Image source, Press Association

The turnout in Hartlepool at this by-election was 42.3%. In the 2019 general election, the turnout in the same constituency was 57.9%, when across the UK it was 67.3%.

It’s very difficult to explain why fewer people went out to vote this time round – a range of factors could have all played a part.

In her victory speech, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland backed "a progressive, inclusive, outward looking vision for the future of our nation" but faces "many more years of right-wing Brexit-obsessed Tory governments that we don’t vote for".

She says opponents of a referendum are trying to "rewrite the basic rules of democracy" and voters have given "pro-independence parties a majority in the Scottish Parliament".

A referendum is "a commitment made to the people by a majority of the MSPs who will take their seats in our national parliament next week", she says.

"Given the outcome of this election, there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future," Sturgeon says.

"If there is such an attempt it will demonstrate conclusively that the UK is not a partnership of equals and that – astonishingly – Westminster no longer sees the UK as a voluntary union of nations."

Can Welsh Labour form a coalition with another party to fill in for their one seat short of an outright majority?published at 18:26 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:26 BST 8 May 2021

Question from John

Image source, Press Association

Mark Drakeford and Welsh Labour haven’t yet announced plans to form a coalition but they also haven’t ruled one out.

They might choose to seek an agreement with parties they have done deals with in the past, like the Liberal Democrats or Plaid Cymru, but they could also choose to form a government on their own.

This would mean they'd deal with parliamentary votes on an issue-by-issue basis.

Nicola Sturgeon has been giving a speech in Glasgow following the SNP's Scottish election win.

She says: "Absolutely no-one would have predicted the scale and the record breaking nature of our victory at this election."

The SNP leader explains if her party wins 62 constituency seats that is 85% of the total. There is just Edinburgh North and Leith to be declared, but it is expected to be an SNP hold.

"Most of all I want to thank the people of Scotland for putting their trust in me and the SNP once again. We will work to repay that trust every day," she says.

"Wherever you are from, whatever age you are, whatever your background, and no matter who you voted for, the SNP in government is dedicated to working for you."

Her immediate and overriding task will be to keep everyone as safe as possible and guide the country back to normality and on to recovery, she adds.

Leila Nathoo answers your questionspublished at 18:19 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:19 BST 8 May 2021

Our BBC Political Correspondent Leila Nathoo has been going through the questions you've sent us this afternoon.

Keep an eye on our live page to see if your question has been answered.

Making his victory speech, Andy Street thanks his opponents and describes the campaign as "a good fight in the best traditions of British democracy".

He says his region faces "incredible challenges" amid the coronavirus pandemic but adds: "This place will bounce back strongly."

"We're such a defiant place - we've bounced back many times."

He also praises Boris Johnson and says the government is committed to "levelling up" but adds: "I'll be banging on their door to make sure that commitment comes good."

Why are results taking so long to announce?published at 18:06 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

18:06 BST 8 May 2021

Question from Godfrey in West Yorkshire

Image source, European Photopress Agency

Counting is taking longer this year for two main reasons.

Covid-19 safety measures have to be in place at counts - there are fewer staff to allow for social distancing.

Secondly, there are a lot of elections going on – some delayed from last year because of the pandemic – so many areas have different polls to deal with.

Conservative Andy Street has won a second term as mayor of the West Midlands, beating Labour's Liam Byrne in the second round with 54% of the vote.

Mr Street, who was managing director of John Lewis before entering politics, was just short of winning the race in the first round and second preferences were not enough for his Labour challenger to overhaul his lead.

Kaukab Stewart becomes Holyrood's first woman of colour to be elected as an MSP after holding Glasgow Kelvin for the SNP.

In her victory speech Ms Stewart says: "It is without doubt an honour to be elected as the first woman of colour to the Scottish Parliament.

"It has taken too long, but to all the women and girls of colour out there the Scottish Parliament belongs to you too.

"So whilst I may be the first I will not be the last."

The 53-year-old teacher has been a campaigner for more than 20 years and this is her fifth attempt at being elected - she even stood against Labour's Donald Dewar, the original First Minister after devolution, in 1999.

Yesterday a Liberal Party member who confronted the SNP MSP Humza Yousaf at a Glasgow election count was suspended.

Earlier, Ms Stewart told the BBC's Aileen Clarke she was delighted it was dealt with so quickly, as there are "multiple barriers faced by women of colour" and such incidents "will put people off politics".

Ms Stewart says: "There is no place for racism in this country and our democratic procedures will prevail."

Nicola Sturgeon says she said all along that a majority for the SNP was a long shot.

However, she adds: "I am thrilled with our result."

The SNP leader says her party has won the highest share and highest number of votes of any party in the history of devolution.

"By any standards this is a historic achievement, a quite extraordinary achievement for the SNP," she adds.

Ms Sturgeon goes on to say: "I now intend to get back to work to deliver on all of what we put before the Scottish people."

She says her hope to have a second independence referendum in the first half of the parliament remains realistic, but getting through the Covid crisis has to come first.

Anyone from Westminster standing in the way of indyref2 would be standing in the way of the Scottish people, she adds.

No route to SNP majority - BBC forecastpublished at 17:29 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

17:29 BST 8 May 2021

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

The SNP will be short of an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, the BBC is forecasting.

But there will be a majority of 15 for the two pro-independence parties, the SNP and the Greens.

In one sense, this will be a disappointment for Nicola Sturgeon.

On the other hand, at some point in the next five years, there will be a constitutional clash between the Scottish and UK parliaments.

This is because virtually everybody who voted for the SNP and the Greens, on the evidence of the survey data, were people who were in favour of independence.

Asked about any leadership ambitions Andy Burnham points out he has already unsuccessfully run for Labour leader twice, adding "I’m not just going to put myself forward unless they [Labour] needed me one day in the future - but we’re not at that day”.

Asked when he last spoke to current leader Keir Starmer about Labour policy, he replies it was last week.

"I believe he understands everything I am saying - I think we are going to see some change," Mr Burnham says.

"I'm a friend of Keir, I've worked with him, I support him, I am not campaigning against him.

"If I can help Keir in the party of course I will do that, but it does need change."

Mr Burnham was in Gordon Brown's Cabinet and was beaten to the Labour leadership by Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.

Speaking to the BBC after his re-election, Greater Manchester's mayor Andy Burnham says Labour has "lost an emotional connection with people".

"It has happened not just recently but goes back to the early 2000s," he adds.

He says his party needs to "make some pretty fundamental changes and one of the ways back is more English devolution, connect with people in a different way, end the London-centric Labour party".

He accuses the Conservatives of using devolution to "scatter money to Tory-favoured places".

Asked if he would consider running for leader of his party, he replies: "I've just been re-elected to the job I love - that's my priority now."

However he suggests that he may consider the job "one day in the future".

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

The Aberdeenshire West declaration matters hugely to the UK government. A win there would have given the SNP a strong mandate for an independence referendum, rather than having to rely on other pro-independence parties.

There'll be relief in Downing Street that Nicola Sturgeon has not achieved an overall majority.

That said, we are still on course for a fourth term with an SNP First Minister, with a strong majority for independence overall in Holyrood.

This doesn't mean that the issue of independence will go away.

But, having failed to reach 65 seats, it does change how the argument for an independence referendum will play out.

With this huge dominance of the SNP in Scotland, it's worth remembering that the independence question is still roughly 50/50, despite their representation in Holyrood.

Labour have won the race to be the West of England mayor.

Their candidate Dan Norris secured 59.1% of the vote in the second round, beating his closest rival the Conservative Samuel Williams who won 40.9%.

John Curtice says: "Apart from Wales, this is is perhaps the brightest star for Labour in what has generally been a lacklustre set of results for the party."

The Conservatives have held Aberdeenshire West, a key SNP target in its bid to get a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament.

It is the only seat in the whole North East region the SNP have not won.

Alexander Burnett won the seat for the Tories with a majority of 3,390, up from just 900 at the 2016 election.

The SNP candidate Fergus Mutch was the former communication director of the party.

Professor Sir John Curtice says the Conservatives' success in this constituency means there is now no conceivable path to the SNP securing 65 seats.

He says that - at most - they could now win 64 by picking up list seats in the Highlands and the South of Scotland.

Andy Burnham has won the Greater Manchester mayor race with 67% of the vote.

Making his acceptance speech he tears up as he thanks his family.

He promises the voters to adopt a "place first, not party first approach".

"Where government gets it right I will work with them, where they don't, I will challenge them for you," he says.

He also uses his speech to make a plea for more devolution and pledges to give his region "a London-style transport system with London-style fares".