Summary

  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his shadow cabinet after his party's disappointing election results

  • Anneliese Dodds has been sacked as shadow chancellor, and replaced by Rachel Reeves

  • Labour's chief whip Nick Brown is replaced by Alan Campbell

  • Angela Rayner - who was sacked as the party's campaigns coordinator after the elections - will shadow Michael Gove

  • Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she could introduce legislation for an independence referendum by next spring

  • A spokeswoman for Ms Sturgeon said that, in a phone call with Boris Johnson earlier, she "made clear that the question of a referendum is now a matter of "when - not if”

  • Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson "stressed how the coronavirus recovery will be more effective if both governments work together"

  • First Minister Mark Drakeford has said Welsh Labour will govern alone but will work with other parties on a "case-by-case basis"

  • Labour MP and former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin has been elected West Yorkshire's mayor, triggering a by-election for her Westminster seat

  • The result of police and crime commissioners elections in England will be announced on Monday.

  1. Anas Sarwar: Labour 'back on the pitch' in Scotlandpublished at 09:26 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Anas Sarwar

    Labour's leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, is also on Marr.

    He says the "bottom line" is that Angela Rayner is "a huge talent" and no one person can take the blame for the election results.

    He says it is a collective effort to rebuild the party but Labour is "back on the pitch again" in Scotland.

    It is a "journey" to rebuild that will take time he adds.

  2. McDonnell: Starmer wrong to 'scapegoat' Raynerpublished at 09:24 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    John McDonnell

    Labour's shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, is on The Andrew Marr show on the BBC.

    He says he hasn't spoken to Angela Rayner about her sacking but many feel it was unfair that she was "scapegoated" when Starmer had said he would take responsibility for the results.

    To sack her on the day when Labour was having mayoral successes and "recovering a bit " was a "huge mistake" he said.

    Labour can win the next general election but Starmer needs to unite the part and cannot send candidates "naked in to the field without any policy".

  3. Rayner offered 'significant promotion' - Murraypublished at 09:21 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Ian MurrayImage source, Sky News

    Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for Scotland, Ian Murray, has denied deputy leader Angela Rayner has been sacked from her roles as party chair and campaign coordinator, saying she has been offered a "significant promotion".

    He tells Sky News this will take her from the "back office" to "the front office where she's talking to the country" - but does not say what shadow cabinet role she has been offered.

    Murray says Labour has seen "mixed results" in this week's elections and leader Sir Keir Starmer needs to speed up reforms of the party and policy-making.

    Labour lost control of several councils and suffered defeat to the Tories in the Hartlepool by-election - although it kept power in Wales.

  4. Andrew Marr's guests coming uppublished at 09:08 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    We'll be bringing you the key points from the political interviews on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show here.

    Guests include:

    • SNP leader and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
    • Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove
    • Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar
    • Labour MP John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn's former shadow chancellor

    You can follow the programme on BBC One or at the top of this page.

  5. Diane Abbott: Go back to 'popular policies' from Corbyn erapublished at 09:03 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    The former shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, has been on Sky News.

    She says Labour faces a strategy problem and the party needs to go back to the "popular" polices from the 2019 election that it set out under Corbyn.

    Labour now has a chance to "re-group, to unify and to put forward those popular policies" she says.

    She says Jeremy Corbyn can't be blamed for the poor results and Sir Keir Starmer needs to build on some of Corbyn's policies.

    Abbott says it is "baffling" why Starmer sacked Angela Rayner and says the decision was "puzzling and unfair".

  6. Talk of another Scottish independence referendum is a distraction - Govepublished at 08:55 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Michael GoveImage source, Sky News

    The priority for politicians across the UK should be the response to the pandemic, not another Scottish independence referendum, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says.

    Asked whether the UK would block another referendum if the Scottish Parliament passed legislation to move towards one, Gove tells Sky News: "No, we’re not even going there at the moment.”

    He adds the UK government is focusing on the country's recovery from Covid.

    “To go down this route, to start speculating about this type of legislation... is just a massive distraction," he says.

    Asked whether there are any circumstances in which the prime minister might agree to another referendum, he says: "It’s not an issue for the moment."

  7. Curtice: Boris Johnson 'king of much of England'published at 08:49 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Election supremo Professor John Curtice has been talking to BBC Breakfast.

    He says Boris Johnson will be "relatively happy" with the Conservatives performance across the board.

    The prime minister finds himself "at least king of much of England, facing an administration in Wales that is not reliant on Plaid Cymru" and in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon not securing the 65 seats for a a majority that would have piled more pressure on for an independence referendum.

    He says for Labour, in contrast, it is "much more difficult to find a great deal by way of a silver lining" although it was more effective in Wales in withstanding the tide of Leave voters switching to the Tories.

    Labour's poor performance overall means it needs to ask itself who and what it stands for, whether it is its traditional working class base or younger graduates in places like London.

  8. PM vows to 'unite and level up' the countrypublished at 08:35 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been tweeting this morning about his vision following the elections.

    He says the Queen's Speech on Tuesday will be about uniting and levelling up the country.

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  9. Analysis

    Ruling parties rewarded by voterspublished at 08:28 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Professor Sir John Curtice
    Polling expert

    Two key themes have emerged from the results of Thursday's elections.

    First, ruling parties have done well, rewarded perhaps by voters who, thanks to the vaccine rollout, believe the worst of the pandemic may now be over.

    Second, Brexit continues to make a difference to how many people vote.

    Voters often use local elections to give governments a kicking. Yet it is the Conservatives that have prospered in the English local council votes.

    In Wales, where Labour has been in power since the devolved parliament first met in 1999, the party recorded a five-point advance on its share of the vote in 2016.

    It now has 30 of the Senedd's 60 seats, matching its previous best performance.

    Meanwhile, in Scotland, the SNP achieved almost 48% of the constituency vote - up a point on what it achieved in 2016.

    However, this has proven insufficient to deliver an overall majority in the Holyrood parliament.

    Read more from John here.

    Graphic showing projected national share
  10. Khan celebrates but Labour left questioning its future directionpublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Damian Grammaticas
    Political correspondent

    Sadiq KhanImage source, PA Media

    Sadiq Khan's victory in the London mayoral race is a rare bright spot for Labour in a series of disappointing results in England's local elections.

    He beat his main rival, the Conservative Shaun Bailey, although the race was closer than many expected.

    Re-elected with 55% of the vote, his victory means Labour has, so-far, won 10 of the 13 mayoral contests held in major cities and regions around England.

    Labour mayors will run Greater Manchester, Liverpool, North Tyneside, the West of England and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

    But elsewhere, in England’s councils, as results have piled up so have Labour’s woes, particularly in places where the party has deep roots such as Durham, Sunderland and Rotherham.

    The party is questioning what its path forward should be.

  11. Analysis

    What do the results mean for Scottish independence?published at 08:11 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Laura Kuenssberg
    Political editor

    Nicola SturgeonImage source, PA Media

    There is one thing that Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson can agree on. That now isn't the time to have another vote on a Scottish referendum.

    That is just about where agreement between arguably the two most dominant political figures in the country right now begins and ends.

    Beyond that, the first minister is determined before too long to push for a vote. The prime minister is set on saying "no".

    There is one thing they have in common too. They are both vote winners for their parties with big personal followings, who are defying political tradition, refreshing their parties' mandates to govern after over a decade in power.

    But if the dispute between them over the future of the UK is ever to be resolved, only one of these winners can come out on top.

    Read more from Laura.

  12. Who are the guests on the Andrew Marr Show?published at 08:01 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Michael GoveImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is among those appearing

    We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from the Andrew Marr Show, which is coming up on BBC One at 09:00 BST.

    Political guests include:

    • SNP leader and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
    • Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove
    • Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar
    • Labour MP John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn's former shadow chancellor

    You can watch the show on BBC One or BBC iPlayer.

  13. 'Allow Keir Starmer to lead' says Labour mayorpublished at 07:56 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Dan Norris and his dog AngelImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Dan Norris celebrated his election win with his dog Angel

    The new Labour mayor for the west of England, Dan Norris, has just been on BBC Breakfast.

    He says Keir Starmer made it possible for people to listen to Labour's message and it resonated with voters.

    Mr Norris says the party is recovering, albeit very slowly, and he defends the decision to sack Angela Rayner as national campaign coordinator and chair of the party.

    "We have to allow leaders to lead and that's what Keir is clearly doing," he says.

    "The public recognise that you make the decisions for your team that overall you think are best. It's like at a football match, you bring on a new player, not all the crowd agrees with it, but you know what, the manager has to decide."

    You can read more about Dan Norris's election as mayor here.

  14. Independent Scotland could have matched UK Covid response - SNPpublished at 07:45 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Neil Gray

    The SNP's Neil Gray, who has just been re-elected to the Scottish Parliament, says his party's priority is going to be the pandemic response but then it will be asking Boris Johnson to "respect democracy" and allow another referendum on independence.

    The SNP fell one seat short of an overall majority, but with eight Scottish Greens the final result still leaves Holyrood with a pro-independence majority. However, the prime minister has said another referendum would be "irresponsible and reckless".

    Gray tells BBC Breakfast the SNP don't want to see the issue challenged in court and the "preferred route" would be for the UK government to "accept the democratic outcome of the Scottish elections".

    He rejects the idea an independent Scotland could not have matched the UK government's response to Covid, arguing it could also have borrowed to fund a furlough scheme and could have run a successful vaccination programme.

  15. Starmer facing a backlash over Rayner sackingpublished at 07:34 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Iain Watson
    Political correspondent

    Angela Rayner and Keir StarmerImage source, PA Media

    Keir Starmer is facing a furious backlash from some Labour MPs and members after sacking the deputy leader, Angela Rayner, as national campaign co-ordinator and chair of the party.

    She was stripped of both roles in the wake of the poor election results in many parts of England

    Off the record, sources suggested Angela Rayner needed to take responsibility for what was described as a "bungled" campaign.

    But many on the left of the party are blaming the party leader himself for poor results.

    The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted that Sir Keir was "scapegoating everyone apart from himself" and accused him of "a cowardly avoidance of responsibility".

    Ms Rayner is directly elected by members as deputy leader and will retain that role.

    A reshuffle of the shadow cabinet is also expected.

  16. Busy week ahead for PM buoyed by victorypublished at 07:25 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Fresh from his success in the local elections in England, the prime minister has a busy in tray for the first week of the new parliamentary term.

    We're expecting a Downing Street press conference tomorrow setting out the next stage of lifting lockdown restrictions from 17 May. There will be a renewed focus this week on rebuilding the UK after coronavirus as the government pushes on with the next stage of its roadmap.

    Parliament returns on Tuesday with the Queen's Speech, where we can expect to hear lots about the government's "levelling up" agenda and bid to bring well paid jobs to so-called "red wall" seats.

    There won't be a PMQs on Wednesday as Parliament will debate the Queen's Speech for a few days.

  17. What the papers saypublished at 07:17 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Front pages of the Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday

    Fallout from this week’s bumper crop of elections continues to dominate the front pages with speculation about what the SNP’s fourth consecutive victory means for the union.

    The Sunday Telegraph, external thinks Ms Sturgeon's failure to secure an outright majority has "greatly lifted the pressure" on Boris Johnson to grant her a referendum.

    One source tells the paper the government's position is "quite clear - we are not having one". Meanwhile Labour looks set to “descend into civil war” the paper says, a day after deputy leader Angela Raynor was sacked from the party.

    The Mail on Sunday, external says Mr Johnson will offer Ms Sturgeon and the other devolved leaders the chance to join a UK-wide council of war to rebuild the nation after coronavirus. She has reportedly rejected the offer, labelling it a “supposedly clever manoeuvre”.

    The Sunday Times, external looks ahead to Tuesday's Queen's Speech, which it says will include a commitment to bring jobs directly to so-called "red wall" areas of England.

    It says the PM will seek to assure voters there that they will no longer have to relocate to find well-paid work.

    You can read more from the papers here.

  18. What happened yesterday?published at 07:06 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Nicola Sturgeon wins the Glasgow Southside seatImage source, Getty Images

    It was a busy day yesterday so here’s a quick recap of what happened:

    • SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has hailed a “historic and extraordinary” fourth consecutive victory in the Scottish Parliament election, after her party finished one seat short of a majority
    • Along with the eight Scottish Greens, the result leaves Holyrood with a pro-independence majority, and Sturgeon said she intended to hold another referendum once the Covid crisis has passed
    • But Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said talk of “ripping our country apart” would be “reckless and irresponsible”
    • He has invited the leaders of the devolved nations to a summit on how “Team UK” can recover from the pandemic
    • Meanwhile, Labour’s Mark Drakeford is set to continue as Wales’ first minister after his party won 30 of 60 seats in the Welsh Senedd
    • The Conservatives made significant gains across England, adding 12 councils and 239 councillors to their overall tally by the end of Saturday
    • It comes after they won the Hartlepool by-election – once considered a Labour stronghold – on Friday
    • Following the party’s poor results, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has been sacked from her roles as party chair and campaign coordinator
    • Labour had more success in mayoral elections, being re-elected in every seat previously held, including London and Manchester, and gaining Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and the West of England from the Conservatives
    • But the Conservatives held on the mayoralty in the West Midlands and increased their share of the vote to 73% in Tees Valley.
  19. Good morningpublished at 07:02 British Summer Time 9 May 2021

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of election results in England, Scotland and Wales.

    All seats have now been declared for the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament but we’re still waiting for results for some English councils and police and crime commissioners.

    We’ll also bring you the results from the mayoral election in West Yorkshire.

    And we’ll be covering the Andrew Marr show on BBC One, where SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove are among the guests.