Election results 2022: When to expect them and what to look out for

London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrates with new leader of Wandsworth Council Simon Hogg

Voters have had their say in UK-wide elections, with positions on 200 councils up for grabs.

The make-up of Northern Ireland's government is also being decided.

What happens with the ballots?

Ballot boxes are taken from all the polling stations, to centres where staff open them up and start counting votes.

Once all the votes in a particular area - like a council ward - are counted, the official in charge - known as the returning officer - announces the results.

When will we know the results?

In Northern Ireland counting started on Friday morning. However, the final results are not expected until Saturday.

Most of the results in England and the results in Wales were in by early Friday evening.

Results from the counts in Scotland have all been announced.

You can search for your results here:

• Prof Sir John Curtice on what results show so far

What could happen in Northern Ireland?

In Northern Ireland a new government is being elected.

And it could be an historic result, with the possibility that for the first time a nationalist party, Sinn Féin, may become the largest party in the devolved administration.

• Could Northern Ireland see a seismic shift at the polls?

• Essential guide to the Northern Ireland election

• How does power-sharing work in Northern Ireland?

Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are elected from parties belonging to one of three blocs - unionists, nationalists and non-aligned.

The biggest party from the largest of the unionist/nationalist blocs nominates the first minister, and the largest party from the second-largest bloc nominates the deputy first minister.

Sinn Féin has been the second-biggest party since 2003 but it is confident of winning more seats than the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) this time around.

• Northern Ireland Assembly election results in full

What has happened around the rest of the country?

The BBC projects Labour would have taken 35% of votes and the Tories 30%, had all parts of Britain gone to the polls.

• Labour has gained control of several councils from the Tories, who lost hundreds of council seats

• PM Boris Johnson said the Tories had had a "tough" time in some areas

• The Liberal Democrats gained more than 180 new councillors in England, Wales and Scotland. Leader Sir Ed Davey said it was a "turning point" for the party

• In Scotland, the SNP finished as the biggest party in the council elections - with Labour second after the Conservatives suffered big losses

• In Wales, the Conservatives lost control of their only council, after Labour became the biggest party in Monmouthshire

How can I follow the results on the BBC?

The BBC News website has updates and analysis including live results as they come in from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a postcode checker to keep on top of results in your area.

You can also follow all the latest in the BBC election live page.

• How to follow the election results on the BBC

There will also be full coverage of the results across the UK on BBC television and radio, starting with an overnight Election Results special at 23:40 BST on BBC One and the BBC News Channel.