As it happened: Final results as election counting ends

1. Labour's new shadow cabinet met earlier today for the first time following Kier Starmer's shake-up of his top team
2. Anneliese Dodds is now the Labour Party's chair, with Rachel Reeves taking her old position
3. Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott says she does not want a leadership challenge but calls on Sir Keir to develop a "winning strategy"
4. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she could introduce legislation for an independence referendum by next spring
5. But the Scottish Conservatives say Ms Sturgeon is acting beyond her powers
6. PM Boris Johnson is being investigated by the MPs' standards watchdog over the funding of his Caribbean holiday in late 2019

We're wrapping up our coverage

Nearly there. It's been quite the marathon.

At this point, we're just awaiting results from a handful of Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

There are nine more announcements to go, which we're expecting by the end of the day.

They're from:

• Devon and Cornwall
• Thames Valley
• Warwickshire
• Wiltshire
• Lancashire
• Sussex
• Gloucestershire
• Hertfordshire
• Hampshire

So at this point, we're going to wrap up this live page.

Of course, do keep following the BBC News website as these last results are declared - you will find them all here, along with a breakdown of the results from all the mayoral, council, Scottish and Welsh elections.

And any further developments, and analysis of what it all means, can be found on our politics pages.

Thank you for joining us.

Key takeaways from the 2021 elections

BBC

With most of the results from Thursday's polls now in, we can assess what we've learned about the political landscape.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, there is a firm majority for independence in the Scottish Parliament.

With the UK government strongly against allowing another referendum, this debate is likely to rumble on - and perhaps become increasingly fractious.

Meanwhile, south of the border, the Conservatives are doing well in areas which were once Labour strongholds.

The party, which has been in power for 11 years, won the Hartlepool by-election and gained control of 13 councils.

The results also indicated that governments across the UK's nations are being rewarded for their handling of the Covid crisis, and that the Leave-Remain divide is still crucial, five years on from the Brexit vote.

Read more on these elections' key lessons.

In Pictures: The local and regional elections

We're nearing the end of our live coverage of the election results, so here's a simple catch-up, in pictures, of the long weekend of counting.

PA Media

The Utilita Arena in Birmingham was given over to counting votes

PA Media

Waiting for results can be a hungry business

Reuters

Count Binface failed in his bid to become London's mayor

Reuters

And in Wales, Captain Beany (left) didn't manage to take Mark Drakeford's seat in the Welsh Parliament

PA Media

SNP candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Karen Adam was more successful.

Reuters

As was Sadiq Khan, seen here at the signing in ceremony at the Globe Theatre

Reuters

Boris Johnson returned to Hartlepool to celebrate his party's victory in the by-election

Starmer and Rayner grab a coffee

Despite briefings that Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, had fallen out after he removed her as Labour Party chair, they've been spotted together in Parliament's Portcullis House.

HuffPost's political editor, Paul Waugh, shared this snap:

Tracy Brabin relinquishes Westminster seat to become mayor

PA Media

Because MPs are elected, they cannot technically resign. Instead, in one of Parliament's many quirks, they must be appointed to a historical crown office.

So, as Labour's Tracy Brabin can no longer be MP for Batley and Spen, having been elected as mayor of West Yorkshire, there will now be a by-election to fill her seat.

She says it's an "enormous privilege" to be the first holder of the newly-created mayoralty.

What have we learned today in the Scottish independence debate?

Getty Images

The message from the UK government today has been clear - the focus needs to be rebuilding from the virus. Now is not the time to talk about Scottish independence.

One minister, tasked with the morning interview round, said another referendum "simply isn't on our radar".

Nadine Dorries said it would be both a divisive and expensive distraction.

But the SNP is not giving up.

It's deputy leader in the House of Commons said it was "simply nonsense" to say the party does not have a mandate to hold another referendum.

Kirsten Oswald said the party has a "significant and overwhelming" case to press ahead when the time is right.

Meanwhile Gordon Brown has been setting out his plan to keep the UK intact.

He attacked Boris Johnson's "muscular unionism" which he said was "at odds with mainstream Scottish opinion".

Could all this end up in the courts? Find out, here.

PM's holiday 'transparently declared' - No 10

Reuters

Downing Street has insisted that Boris Johnson "transparently declared" his 2019 holiday to Mustique, amid an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The prime minister's spokesman told journalists: "The prime minister transparently declared the benefit in kind in the Commons register of interests."

Asked if the government believes the public think the rules matter, the spokesman said: "Clearly the rules are set out and it's important that everyone abides by them, as the prime minister has done throughout."

Mr Johnson has previously declared he received accommodation worth £15,000, covered by businessman David Ross.

Mr Ross, a co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, initially said he did not "pay any monies" for the trip to the private island of Mustique, in the Caribbean.

He later clarified that he had "facilitated" accommodation for the prime minister, and Mr Johnson's declaration of a "benefit in kind" was "correct".

What has happened today with Labour?

Pa

Sir Keir is said to have told the meeting: "To be clear, I take responsibility. Nobody else. I lead the Labour Party and it is entirely on me."

Labour's new look shadow cabinet has met for the first time after a weekend of recriminations following the election results and the reshuffle.

But there was no radical change to the top table other than Rachel Reeves replacing Anneliese Dodds in the shadow chancellor role.

Angela Rayner - who's removal from certain jobs in the party has caused outrage on the Labour Left - is back with a beefed up role.

And there has been no shortage of advice for Keir Starmer on what Labour needs to do next to stem the tide of losses.

The newly re-elected mayor for Great Manchester, Andy Burnham, has urged him to ditch the "cautious" approach to policy and back what is right.

Addressing party staff this morning, Starmer admitted the results in England were "profoundly disappointing".

He said he would soon be spelling out his approach to rebuilding the economy and changing a culture that sets people "against each other".

One vote for Jackie Weaver in Sussex

We've had a few more results in for those police and crime commissioners elections.

No changes so far today with both Kent and Cumbria sticking with the Conservative candidate while South Yorkshire is held by Labour.

Counting is under way in Sussex where BBC reporter Ben Weisz says one voter apparently rejected all the candidates and instead wrote “Jackie Weaver” - of Handforth council fame - on their ballot.

PM to hold press conference at 17:00 BST

PA Media

As Labour licks its wounds from last week's election results and the reshuffle upheaval, the Conservatives are keen to demonstrate that they are getting on with the business of government.

At 17:00 BST today, the prime minister will hold a press conference in Downing Street, setting out next stage of lifting coronavirus restrictions in England.

He's hoping to build on his party's feelgood factor from its election successes by announcing that the lockdown roadmap is on track and people will be able to hug each other from next week.

He'll try to bind in the support of the devolved nations with a message that everyone needs to focus on rebuilding from the pandemic - with a message in particular for the SNP that the focus now has to be recovery and not independence.

We'll bring you a updates from that Downing Street briefing here, but you can also follow it in more detail in our dedicated Covid live page.

The Queen's Speech is tomorrow - so what can we expect from it?

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The Queen and Prince Charles at the 2019 State Opening of Parliament

The Queen's Speech is happening in Parliament tomorrow.

It's an opportunity for the government to set out its agenda for the year ahead.

Although delivered by the monarch, the speech is written by the government.

So what can we expect from this year's speech?

Reports have suggested it will contain more than 25 bills, or proposed pieces of legislation, including the much-delayed Environment Bill on post-Brexit rules for protecting nature, and the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which sparked protests earlier this year.

A much-talked about reform of social care could also make an appearance, but it's thought there won't be a specific bill on this yet.

There'll also be new plans for England's planning regime, which could yet prove controversial with Conservative backbenchers.

Read more about what could be in the speech here.

Watch: Labour must adjust to 'seismic changes', says former PM

Former PM Gordon Brown says Sir Keir Starmer has “got to be given time and the power and the resources” to “get on with bringing forward new policies”.

He told BBC Scotland editor Sarah Smith the leader has “got to get out there, as he wants to do it, and listen to the people”.

Elections 2021: Gordon Brown advice to Sir Keir Starmer

Conservatives hold Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner role

BBC

Conservative Peter McCall has been re-elected as Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner for a second term.

It was the only contest to be held in the county in last week's bumper crop of elections.

His responsibilities include setting Cumbria Constabulary's priorities, overseeing its budget and hiring its chief constable.

The election was delayed from last year due to the pandemic.

You can read the full story here.

People don't know what Labour stands for, says defeated Hartlepool candidate

Reuters

Jill Mortimer defeated Paul Williams in Hartlepool

The defeated Labour candidate in the Hartlepool by-election, Paul Williams, is speaking to Radio 4's The World at One about what went wrong.

He says he lost "with great humility" because even though it is "hard to take a defeat like this" the reality is that "voters are never wrong".

Labour lost in Hartlepool for two reasons, he says. He believes Labour had a "credibility gap" and "an identity gap".

People expected when they voted Labour in the past that things would improve for then, he adds, but things did not get better and so people blamed the party.

He says voters in Hartlepool and across the country do not know who Labour is or what it stands for and the challenge for Sir Keir Starmer is to come up with a policy offer to fill that vision.

What's happened so far today?

It's been a busy start to the week, with the fall-out from elections across Britain continuing.

If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of the day's top political stories:

• After yesterday's shadow cabinet reshuffle, Sir Keir Starmer has addressed the party. He praised Labour's success in Wales, and also England's mayoral elections
• But he acknowledged the disappointment of losing the Hartlepool by-election and said the party needed to set out a vision for post-pandemic Britain
• Andy Burnham, who won re-election as mayor of Greater Manchester, called for an end to Labour infighting
• The UK and Scottish governments are in open disagreement about whether the SNP's victory north of the border gives them a mandate for another independence referendum
• The prime minister is expected to announce a significant easing of coronavirus restrictions - including lifting the ban on hugging
• The MPs' standards watchdog is investigating the funding of a Caribbean holiday Boris Johnson took with his fiance, Carrie Symmonds, in 2019

Hardly a happy reunion at shadow cabinet meeting

Jonathan Blake

BBC political correspondent

The newly, moderately reshuffled shadow cabinet gathered at midday today in the Boothroyd room of Portcullis House in Parliament after a tumultuous weekend for the party in the wake of poor election results.

Face-to-face meetings are still relatively rare at Westminster but this was hardly a happy reunion.

One senior frontbencher managed a smile on the way in but wearily said they were just glad the elections were over.

Before the meeting, another described the situation the party faced as “catastrophic” and frustratedly suggested the following infighting had made things worse, giving voters more reasons not to vote Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer welcomed new members of his top team and said his deputy Angela Rayner had a big new role taking the fight to the Tories, which an ally of hers said would enable her to perform more to her strengths.

But Sir Keir added that he and nobody else had responsibility for Labour’s results.

After some difficult days and public disagreements about the future for Labour, it’s likely there will be more to come.

'Simply nonsense' to say no mandate for a referendum, says SNP

The SNP's deputy leader in the House of Commons, Kirsten Oswald, is also on the BBC's Politics Live programme.

She says that, despite the lack of an overall majority in Holyrood, it is "simply nonsense" for the UK government to say that the SNP does not have a mandate to hold another independence referendum.

The SNP has won the election with a landslide, she says, giving an "amazing and strong mandate" to Nicola Sturgeon.

"There is no way really that you can look at this and say that there isn't a significant and overwhelming mandate for the SNP to go forward and deliver what people voted for us to do," she adds.

"That's what democracy is all about. That's what democracy dictates that we should do."

Labour must be proudly anti-discrimination - Burgon

BBC

Over the weekend Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said the party had been taken over by "woke warriors".

Responding to the article, Richard Burgon says woke refers to "people who are against discrimination", adding: "We need to be proud of that and we need to communicate that in a way that doesn't alienate people."

Asked about the Batley and Spen by-election, Burgon warns that: "If Labour doesn't win in Batley and Spen, Keir will have real problems."

Former home secretary David Blunkett says young people are "thoughtful and believe in equality" but says there are people "who carry things to extremes and start talking about pulling down statues".

"We've got to disavow those things we think are silly while reaching out to those who want a radical progressive agenda," he says.

Dodds says Labour will 'seize every opportunity' to deliver change

The former shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, has been tweeting about her new job.

She says she's determined the party will "seize every opportunity" deliver change.

Burgon: Labour leadership more interested in fighting the left than the government

Speaking to the BBC's Politics Live, former shadow minister Richard Burgon says the election results are "very upsetting" and that it is "unfair" to place responsibility for the defeats on Angela Rayner.

He says the party leader needs to "change direction" instead of "rearranging the deck chairs".

He also suggests the leadership is more interested in "taking the fight to left activists instead of the government".

Former home secretary David Blunkett accuses Burgon of "going out of his way to be divisive"

He says the party needs to "reshape how we address the world of tomorrow, rather than the 70s and 80s".