Martin Jones
Reporting from Somerton and Frome count

When the result comes in Somerton and Frome, it'll be hard to miss the man delivering it.

The High Sheriff of Somerset, Robert Drewett, will make the announcement in ceremonial uniform.

Its history dates back to Royal Court dress from the mid-18th century. It features a black velvet coat with steel cut buttons, breeches, shoes with cut-steel buckles, a sword and a cocked hat.

Drewett says he bought the clothes himself, but that there is - fortunately - a thriving second-hand market.

Tim Burke
Reporting from Uxbridge

It’s hot here at Queensmead Sports Centre in Uxbridge - and not just in terms of the temperature.

One Tory observer - scrunching up his face and holding his index finger and thumb millimetres apart - says it’s close.

Labour say it’s close too.

Which way, I ask. “Close is close," I'm told.

Many of the candidates - of which there are 17 - and supporters haven’t arrived yet.

Image source, PA Media

With counting under way to decide who'll take Boris Johnson's former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, let's remind ourselves of the candidates.

There were a massive 17 people to choose from in this vote - with the list including the likes of Count Binface, who stood against the former prime minister in 2019, and actor-turned GB News presenter Laurence Fox.

Here's the full rundown:

• Blaise Baquiche, Liberal Democrat
• Danny Beales, Labour
• Cameron Bell, Independent
• Count Binface, Count Binface Party
• Piers Corbyn, Let London Live
• Laurence Fox, Reclaim Party
• Steve Gardner, Social Democratic Party
• Ed Gemmell, Climate Party
• Sarah Green, Green Party
• Kingsley Hamilton, Independent
• Richard Hewison, Rejoin EU
• Howling Hope, Official Monster Raving Loony Party
• 77 Joseph, Independent
• Rebecca Jane, UK Independence Party
• Enomfon Ntefon, Christian Peoples Alliance
• Leo Phaure, Independent
• Steve Tuckwell, Conservative Party

The by-election was triggered last month when Johnson quit ahead of a report being published about whether he misled Parliament over Partygate.

A result is currently expected around 03:00, though the expected timings for declarations could well shift over the night.

Voters in Selby and Ainsty have been voicing frustration about the cause of the by-election in the constituency, a Tory MP has said.

The vote was triggered by the resignation of Nigel Adams, who had represented the seat since 2010, but who announced he would be standing down with immediate effect in June. It came shortly after former prime minister Boris Johnson announced his own resignation.

Asked on BBC Newsnight what he expected the result of the by-election to be, Andrew Jones, MP for the neighbouring constituency of Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: "Well, who knows? We think it's going to be very close.

“It’s felt like a very individual by-election. This has felt more local, more personal. I've sensed a sense of frustration, particularly in the cause of this by-election.

"The sitting MP walking away has been a sense of disappointment. And that's putting it quite mildly."

Martin Jones
Reporting at Somerton and Frome count

It's hours to go until a result is officially declared, but a Lib Dems spokesman has already claimed victory in Somerton and Frome.

"We've not just won, but we've romped home," the spokesman said. "The Conservative vote is in freefall."

Earlier, party leader Sir Ed Davey predicted the party would win big in the seat, which has a Conservative majority of more than 19,000.

We're not expecting an official result until between 03:00 and 04:00 BST.

Victory in the two seats Labour is hoping to win would require significant swings in its favour, party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds has said.

Labour is hoping to win Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson's former seat, and the Yorkshire constituency of Selby & Ainsty.

Asked by BBC Newsnight whether the party would be disappointed not to take both seats, Dodds said: “We have a situation here of three constituencies that have never returned a Labour MP.

“If Labour were to win in Uxbridge, then that would require a bigger swing than we even had in the ’97 landslide election. If we win Selby and Ainsty it would require the biggest swing to Labour ever in a by-election.

“So these are incredibly challenging elections for Labour.”

Jenny Kumah
South West England correspondent, in Somerset

Ballot boxes have started arriving from the 117 polling stations in Somerton and Frome.

The Bath and West Showground, traditionally used for rating cattle, hosts a very different kind of contest this evening.

This is a large rural constituency so some of the ballot boxes will be travelling from long distances. A result is expected by 04:00.

The mood among the Lib Dems is "chipper", one activist tells me.

Labour will be hoping to see double-figure swings tonight if it is to be confident of a convincing victory at the next general election, polling expert Sir John Curtice has said.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said: “If you look at some of the successes of [former Labour prime minister] Tony Blair before 1997 general election, in by-elections then, there were one or two occasions when the Labour Party managed swings of over 20%.

“So we should certainly be looking for substantial double-figure swings and preferably, from Labour’s point of view, swings closer to 20% than 10%.”

Election swings show the extent of change in voter support for a political party, from one election to the next.

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Is Rishi Sunak about to become the first prime minister to lose three by-elections in a day since 1968?

I’ve been chatting to the parties over the course of today.

Senior Tories say they expect to lose all three. There’s some expectation management going on here, but the general mood is pretty bleak.

Labour are confident in Uxbridge. This is the sort of seat they need to win to show they are on course to win power at the next general election. The expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone charge in London under Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan has been tricky for the party, but not many people think tricky enough to stop them winning here.

Selby is the bigger ask for Labour but shadow ministers are optimistic they’ll win here too. If they do, that’s a huge victory for the party, overturning a majority of 20,137 from 2019. This is not a seat that’s high on Labour’s target list – victory today would suggest a landslide is possible (with the caveat that by-elections and general elections can yield quite different results).

It may come down to how many Conservative voters stay at home and how many switch to Labour.

The Lib Dems have been confident in Somerton and Frome. Again, victory here would involve overturning a massive majority of 19,213. But the Lib Dems have experience of taking previously safe Conservative seats in recent months.

We'll know for sure over the next few hours, but the initial picture is not good for Sunak.

Tim Burke
Reporting from Uxbridge

I'm at Queensmead Sports Centre, in Uxbridge, where counting has begun.

The alternative venue - used in general elections - at Brunel University can't be used because of graduation ceremonies.

They are only counting one seat tonight, Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson's old seat), where in a general election they would count three.

There are 107 counters on a snaking table - the team here think they might declare at around 03:00 BST.

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent, in North Yorkshire

Counting is under way at Selby Leisure Centre in North Yorkshire.

We’re not actually too far from the prime minister’s own constituency of Richmond.

The Conservatives are sitting on a majority of more than 20,000. Overturning that is a big ask for Labour.

One Labour figure told me they think things are going to be close, but that they’re hopeful the seat will go red.

With 13 candidates in the running, and a potentially tight vote, we’re probably in for a long night of counting.

Jonathan Blake
Political correspondent

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey predicts his party will “win big” tonight in Somerton and Frome.

They’ve been confident of victory here from the start of this campaign, and if they win we will hear Lib Dems claiming the result means they’re “back in business” in their former heartland of south-west England.

They claim the region is crucial to removing the Conservatives from office and that they - and not Labour - are best placed to win here.

Sources point to 15 seats in the South West where the Conservatives have a smaller majority than they did in Somerton and Frome.

Those are the places the Lib Dems will have in their sights at a general election, boosted by what the party is already calling an “historic” victory tonight.

How badly could Conservatives do?published at 22:23 British Summer Time 20 July 2023

22:23 BST 20 July 2023

Chris Mason
Political editor

The big question tonight is this - how badly could the Conservatives do? They have been struggling in the opinion polls for ages, they have had a pretty hellish year and so many people are struggling with the cost of living.

Remember, these are three seats they won at the last general election.

One party figure put it to me tonight that they expected to "lose horribly and potentially historically" in all three seats and blamed what they called "Long Boris" - a sense that the actions and behaviour of the former prime minister are still affecting them.

But in two of the seats - the one in Somerset and the one in North Yorkshire - they are defending massive majorities.

Labour tonight are confident they will take what was Johnson's seat in the capital. But they have faced awkward questions about the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand the capital's Ultra Low Emissions Zone - how much does that damage them?

Then there is Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire. Labour could win the next general election comfortably and not win seats like this. So it's a massive mountain to climb for them - but it would be a wow moment if they won.

They're throwing everything at it - they had three shadow cabinet ministers there today and hundreds of campaigners. Some in the party are saying it'll be very close. Others are much more confident.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats in Somerton and Frome are upbeat - and confident of victory. They claim to have knocked on 15,000 doors in the patch, just today.

Sore knuckles then and cups of coffee all round - the night is young.

Image source, EPA

These by-elections are the result of three MPs stepping down in the wake of separate controversies.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, announced in June that he was resigning as an MP after he was handed a report from a committee of MPs investigating whether he lied to Parliament about Partygate - the series of Covid lockdown parties in Downing Street.

Those MPs recommended a tough punishment that could have led to him facing a by-election.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, was a close ally of Johnson and announced he would be stepping down a day later. His move came amid controversy over Johnson's resignation honours list, on which Adams did not appear.

The third by-election in Somerton and Frome came about because its former MP, David Warburton, resigned after admitting taking cocaine.

Read in full: By-elections 2023: a simple guide

Alex Therrien
Live reporter

It’s just gone 22:00 and polls have now closed in the three by-elections being contested: Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and the Somerset seat of Somerton and Frome.

Despite holding healthy majorities of around 20,000 votes in two of those constituencies, the Conservatives are seen as being in danger of losing all three seats.

A poor performance by the Tories could raise fresh questions about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ability to revive the party's political fortunes in time for a general election, expected next year.

There are also questions to be answered about how well Labour and the Liberal Democrats are performing.

I’m here with Sam Hancock and Christy Cooney to bring you all the latest updates overnight, so stay with us.

Polls are closing in less than 15 minutes, when will be able to say much more about the three by-elections taking place.

But before then, it wouldn’t be election day without #DogsAtPollingStations, and here are a few of the good boys and girls we’ve spotted out and about today.

Image source, Elizabethm296/Twitter

Image source, Alex Brown

Image source, Helen Wiggins

Image source, Viv Shilton

Image source, PA Media

There's less than an hour to go until polls close (at 22:00).

If you are still planning to vote this evening, photo ID is now required following a change in the rules earlier this year.

The most common accepted documents are your passport or driving licence, but there are plenty of other options, including a voter authority certificate if you applied in time.

The changes will apply to the next general election too, so even if you're not in one of the three constituencies voting today, now’s a good time to start thinking about whether you've got the right ID.

Image source, Getty Images

You are not allowed to take photos inside a polling station because the Electoral Commission - which oversees UK elections - says it risks the secrecy of the ballot.

The punishment for revealing how someone else voted - even accidentally - is a fine of up to £5,000, or six months in prison.

But people are welcome to take photos outside.

There are a whole host of rules and regulations, external about what you can and can’t do on polling day – for example, you can bring your own pen or pencil with you, but these are available at polling stations.

You can go to the polling station with whoever you like, but only those registered to vote at the station can go inside. Children are allowed inside, but they must not mark the ballot paper for you.

With the exception of assistance dogs, animals are not typically allowed inside polling stations, and should to be tied up outside.

Image source, Reuters

If you're eligible to vote in person in one of the three constituencies that are voting today, you’ll have received a poll card in the post.

That will tell you which polling station to cast your vote at.

You’ve got until 22:00 BST to cast your vote, so if you haven’t got around to it yet, there’s still time.

When you arrive, head inside and give your name, address and show your ID to staff who will check you off against the electoral register and give you a ballot paper.

That ballot paper will have a list of who you can vote for and instructions on how to fill it out.

Once you’ve filled it out and are happy with your vote, fold it up and place it in one of the big ballot boxes you’ll see in the room.

Then you’re done! Pat yourself on the back for doing your bit for democracy and grab yourself a little treat before heading home and re-joining us here on the live page.