Starmer Awaits Fate as Polls Close in Crucial UK Elections

Voters arrive at a polling station setup at Bermondsey Village Hall, in the borough of Southwark, London on May 7.Photographer: Betty Laura Zapata/Bloomberg

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By Joe Mayes and Ellen Milligan

May 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC

Updated on

May 7, 2026 at 9:47 PM UTC

Keir Starmer is awaiting the results of one of the most consequential rounds of local elections in recent British history, a vote that could determine his future as prime minister and shape national policy in Europe’s second-largest economy.

Polls have closed across England, Scotland and Wales, capping an intense period of campaigning for control of 172 English councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, among other races. While the first returns were expected in the early hours of Friday, a full picture of the results might not come into focus until late in the UK day.