Good morning, and try to control your excitement: it’s local elections day in the UK!! YES!!! No, wait, don’t go: today’s votes matter not only because of the usual issues (bins, potholes, housing) – but also because we’re in a cost of living crisis where local government has control of many of the levers that can affect it. And then there’s the national picture – in particular Boris Johnson’s security as prime minister -that the results will help us to understand.
Tomorrow, results will come in from more than 6,800 seats in 200 local authorities, and the big parties – having downplayed their chances in advance – will furiously seek to present the outcome as a success. For today we’re asking: do voters care about Partygate? Is Keir Starmer making an impression? And what about the constitutional questions in play in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
