Professor Sir John Curtice
Professor of politics at University of Strathclyde

Under our electoral system, when a party gains seats, it is not just a reflection of their performance, but their competitors', too.

The Liberal Democrat vote this time was up marginally compared to 2021. But the crucial reason why they were able to win is because the Conservative vote is down by over 11 points.

It's certainly true that the Lib Dem performance was better in Tory wards and they didn't do as well in Labour areas.

The Lib Dems have long since decided they are not trying to increase their national share of the vote, and they certainly haven't done so according to polls or these results.

Instead, they are betting the farm on the struggles of the Tory party in the polls being repeated at the next general election.

Image source, PA Media

Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson says the party has had success taking on the Conservative Party in this set of local elections.

The party has gained more than 100 new councillors so far.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the party is "very confident of smashing through the blue wall in the general election", and says the party has "wiped out" Tories in areas it is targeting.

The party wants to take on the Tories in areas where it has traditionally performed strongly and looks set to focus its resource on those winnable areas.

"Those are the results that really count," Wilson says.

Are there really silver linings for the Tories?published at 07:11 British Summer Time 4 May

07:11 BST 4 May

The party spin machines have been in full swing over the last couple of days, eager to explain why these results are good news for their respective general election chances.

The BBC's former political editor Nick Robinson and presenter Amol Rajan have been picking it all apart in the latest episode of the Today Podcast.

Are there really silver linings for the Tories? Should Labour have performed even better? And will support for smaller parties actually hold up when the country goes to the polls in a matter of months?

Perhaps even more importantly than all that, Robinson and Rajan also discuss the critical issue of how they manage to squeeze in a few hours of sleep during all-night election coverage.

You can listen to their analysis here.

Today's two key results to watch out for todaypublished at 06:58 British Summer Time 4 May

06:58 BST 4 May

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent, in Downing Street

Labour is expected to win many of the mayoral races due to be announced today, including in places like Greater Manchester and Liverpool.

There's no sense of any looming upset in those races - but there are two results to watch out for.

In the West Midlands, incumbent Conservative mayor Andy Street is looking to win another term.

He has been critical of some of the party's decisions and has distanced himself from the government at times.

It looks like a tight race but if Street does hang on, psychologically that would give the Tories something else to point to.

In London, there has been a really fraught campaign.

We already know that turnout is slightly down on the last time the capital's voters went to the polls.

At this stage, neither side is treating that election as a done deal.

Curious to know how the local elections played out in your area? You can use our handy guide to find all of the results that have so far been counted.

Simply add in your postcode to find all the latest results.

Image source, Reuters

Almost all of the papers say the Conservatives are facing the worst local election results in 40 years. The Guardian says the party has been "crushed", external, prompting one former minister to declare that "there was no such thing, really, as a safe Tory seat any more".

On their front pages the Times, the Mail, and the Express all report that Tory rebels have given up on a plan to use losses in the local elections to try to remove Rishi Sunak.

There's a variety of views in the editorials. The Mail says the Conservatives expected a thumping and they certainly got one.

The Telegraph says: "A Starmer government is not inevitable", external. The paper says Labour has underperformed in some of the most important races and it's been deserted by some Muslim voters. It says if John Swinney pulls the SNP out of a downwards spiral in Scotland he may deny Labour vital seats in its pursuit of a majority.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Here are two observations about the local election results.

First: The results have been pretty dismal for the Conservatives, with some limited exceptions, pointing the way to a Labour victory at the general election.

Second: Speaking to Conservative MPs, advisers and officials, any threat to Rishi Sunak's leadership appears to be fading fast.

To some, that's a paradox.

The results so far indicate that the Conservatives are heading for defeat under Sunak's leadership. Why not, then, change leader?

Yet there are still only two MPs who have publicly called for a change of leader - with no-one new joining that rebel band in response to these results. For another group of Conservative MPs, the possibility of ousting yet another leader in such a short timeframe is too absurd even to mention.

Both sides agree that as it stands the prospect of a challenge to the prime minister's authority is receding.

Read Henry Zeffman's full article here

Conservatives remain in deep electoral troublepublished at 05:19 British Summer Time 4 May

05:19 BST 4 May

Professor Sir John Curtice
Professor of politics at University of Strathclyde

Though some key results will only be counted on Saturday, the results of the local elections have for the most part been deeply disappointing for the Conservatives.

Some losses were inevitable. Most of the seats being elected on Thursday were previously contested in May 2021, when the Conservatives were six points ahead of Labour in the national polls.

Meanwhile, the detailed voting figures in 800 key wards collected by the BBC suggests the party’s local election performance is one of its worst ever.

However, Labour’s projected share has also fallen a point on last year to 34%, meaning the party’s nine point lead over their principal rivals has not changed.

Sir Keir Starmer has still not bettered the 38% Labour scored in 2012 under Ed Miliband’s leadership.

• Read more analysis here

With a few council results still to come, as well as seven regional mayoral contests, Saturday still has plenty to offer anyone keeping an eye on this year’s local elections.

But if you want the story of the polls so far - our video team have combined the best bits into 60 seconds for you to watch.

Yesterday, 102 councils across England declared their results in the local elections. There are 107 in total, so we're still waiting on five.

Labour has won more than 170 seats so far, making them the front runners with over 1,000 council seats. They have control of 48 councils now, taking control of eight councils yesterday.

It lost control of Oldham in Greater Manchester, where two councillors quit the party over Gaza earlier this year.

The Conservatives have lost more than 440 seats, leaving them with over 470 seats in total. They lost 10 councils, including Basildon in Essex, which gained an iconic status for the Tories under Margaret Thatcher.

The Liberal Democrats have made modest gains of more than 100 councillors so far and won Tunbridge Wells. They failed to take control of West Oxfordshire and Wokingham, both target areas.

• You can read a full breakdown of the results here.

Image source, PA Media

Friday saw the first results of what is likely one of the last big tests of public opinion before a general election - and the results are clear.

Labour has gained over 170 council seats, taking control of eight councils, including Milton Keynes and Nuneaton, seen as traditional bellwether seats for general elections.

There is a 9% average swing so far from the Tories since 2021, who have lost over 400 councillors and 10 councils.

Their one respite came from the Tees Valley, where incumbent Tory Ben Houchen won a third term as regional mayor.

The results are mixed for Reform UK, which have won 16.9% of the vote in Blackpool South, coming in third, however, it only won two council seats so far, both in Havant.

The Liberal Democrats and the Greens have both made modest gains, with the Lib Dems gaining more than 100 councillors and winning Tunbridge Wells and the Greens gaining more than 60 seats, and becoming the largest party in Bristol.

To read about yesterday’s results in more details, click here.

Of the 107 councils up for grabs, 102 have so far declared their results in these local elections.

Today we’re waiting for four more: Epping Forest, North Tyneside, Stroud, and Warrington. On Sunday we’ll then have the results from Salford.

We're also expecting the results of seven of the 11 mayoral races including London, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Salford, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire.

And 27 of the 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales were announced yesterday.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to day three of our coverage of the local elections across England and Wales.

In total, 107 local councils in England were up for grabs as was the London Assembly; and 11 mayoral elections took place.

People in England and Wales also elected 37 police and crime commissioners.

Yesterday saw the first results come in, which dealt an expected blow to the Conservatives as Labour hailed big gains.

We're still waiting on results from five councils - we’re expecting four today and the final result on Sunday - and seven mayoral races.

Stay with us as we continue our coverage as our team of journalists and correspondents will bring you the latest results and analysis.