Labour wins mayoral elections in Liverpool and South Yorkshire, as Sadiq Khan starts to breathe a sigh of relief in London despite large turnouts in anti-Ulez Blade Runner hubs

Although declaration times may vary, these are times when results are expected to come in:

London: Official time to be confirmed, but the picture should become clear around 1.30pm

Results are coming in thick and fast now. Sadiq Khan has gained another victory, this time in the London borough of the North East.

He won 127,455 votes, while the Conservatives’ Susan Hall received 34,099.

Sadiq Khan has won the mayoral vote in West Central, with 54,481 votes. It becomes the third London borough to declare its mayoral vote

Conservative Susan Hall recieved 43,405 votes while Zoe Garbett of the Greens came away with 5,984 votes.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram is continuing to speak to crowds in the city following his re-election today, saying:

From a standing start we’re starting to see the advantages and a greater understanding of devolution’s benefits; devo (devolution) is delivering innovation, regeneration and renaissance, like 60,000 jobs, 30,000 apprenticeships, 30,000 new homes.

The country’s first publicly-owned trains in a generation, the best publicly-owned and run digital connectivity in the country, and meaningful action to fix the broken bus market, real, tangible, progressive policies that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

The road to Downing Street runs through transformative Labour administrations in local and regional Government; with Labour in Westminster, we will get to see what real devolution is like, not the limited decentralisation that we have at the moment.

With 103 of the 107 councils having declared so far, there are only a few left to announce their results.

Here’s how many each party has won so far:

The re-elected Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of ‘squatting in Downing Street’ foillowing his victory earlier today. He said:

The Prime Minister is squatting in Downing Street and I say, come out and face the voters, Mr Sunak, call a general election, we’re ready when you are, but whilst we’re waiting our work will continue unabated.

This result isn’t just a rejection of the Tories, voters in our city region aren’t easily kidded, it’s a ringing endorsement of what we’re doing locally too, and they weren’t hoodwinked by pie-in-the sky populist pledges.

It’s no less dishonest, you know, to promise to deliver undeliverable things locally than it is to advertise to £350 million a week for our NHS on the side bus if we left the EU.

It appears that for some, mud slinging and smear tactics are still the weapon of choice in the armoury of the deceitful and desperate.

Labour’s Oliver Coppard has been re-elected Mayor of Sheffield with almost 140,000 votes.

He first won election in 2017 and will now serve his second term.

Sadiq Khan won 83,792 votes in Greenwich and Lewisham, the second London borough to declare its mayoral vote, with Conservative Susan Hall on 36,822 and Zoe Garbett of the Greens third with 11,209.

That is a 4.5 per cent from Conservative to Labour.

Labour’s Steve Rotheram has been elected as the mayor of Liverpool for the third time.

Mr Rotheram was first elected in 2017, when the role was first created, and was re-elected today as expected.

The turnout was 23.7 per cent, with 272,721 votes cast out of a possible 1,149,736.

Jade Marsden (Con) 27,708 (68%)

Steve Rotheram (Lab) 183,932 (10%)

Rob McAllister-Bell (LD) 21,366 (9.8%)

Tom Crone (Green) 26,417 (7.9%)

Ian Smith (Ind) 11,032 (4.1%)

The first count has returned in London in Merton and Wandsworth.

There was a swing of 5.1 per cent from Conservative to Labour.

Labour has five per cent more than the last election, while the Tories have five per cent less.

Sadiq Khan received 84,725 votes, while Susan Hall got 50, 097.

The Conservatives do not deserve to be in power ‘for a moment longer’, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said in a fresh challenge to Rishi Sunak following his party’s local election defeats.

Speaking in Mansfield on Saturday morning alongside the new Labour mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, Labour leader Sir Keir said: ‘I think the message here is very, very clear, and I think across the East Midlands there has been a sending of that message to the Government, which is we are fed up with your division, with your chaos, with your failure.

‘Fourteen years, and I am sorry, I don’t care which political party you support, if you leave your country in a worse state then when you found it 14 years later you do not deserve to be in Government for a moment longer.’

Labour’s Steve Rotheram is expected to be re-elected as the mayor of Liverpool.

Mr Rotheram has had two terms in office already, since he was first elected in 2017.

The turnout was 23.7 per cent, with 272,721 votes cast.

The question that remains is which candidate will come second. Both the Greens and the Lib Dems are hopeful.

There are suggestions there may be upsets in Stroud and Epping Forest.

Labour are expected to keep their large majorities in North Tyneside, Salford and Warrington.

In Stroud, a Lid Dem/Green/independents coalition controls the council at the moment.

Labour has been trying to secure more influence ahead of the General Election as it only has four councillors there currently.

Meanwhile, although the Tories have had a majority in Epping Forest for 17 years, since 2007, independents may be doing better than expected.

There has been strong support for independents and early ward-level results indicate that support may have transferred to seats on the council.

The result for Epping Forest is expected at 12.30pm and the declaration for Stroud at 4pm.

By happenstance, I ran into a friend – a wealthy, life-long Labour supporter and donor – in the last few days.

In a brief exchange, he observed there was much to be fixed for the next government, in particular health and public services. Then came the stinger.

That could only happen if Labour raised taxes. Never mind that revenues, at 37.9 per cent of national output, are at record peacetime levels.

Now that Labour has reasserted its ballot-box superiority in municipal polls and the South Blackpool by-election, it will be hard to escape an intense focus on what a Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves party will do in power.

But it is what Reeves is not telling us, rather than public pronouncements, which should alarm hard pressed voters.

Read more from ALEX BRUMMER here:

Sir Keir Starmer said he remains confident Sadiq Khan can win a third term as the Labour mayor of London.

Speaking to reporters in Mansfield, the Labour leader said: ‘Sadiq Khan was absolutely the right candidate. He has got two terms of delivery behind him and I am confident that he has got another term of delivery in front of him.

‘But look, if you look across the country, I am standing here in Mansfield in the East Midlands where we have won a significant victory in the mayoralty here, but that is the pattern across the country.

‘We have been winning in Blackpool in a by-election with a 26 per cent swing, we have won in York and North Yorkshire, true blue Tory territory, and here in the East Midlands where there are very many constituencies that matter hugely in that general election.

‘All of this is done with a purpose. I want a Labour Government to serve our country.

‘This is effectively the last stop on the journey to the general election and I am really pleased to be able to show we are making progress, we have earned the trust and confidence of voters and we are making progress towards that general election.’

Sir Keir Starmer said his party with ‘turn the page on decline’ as he set out his stall for the general election.

In Mansfield, alongside the new Labour mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward, the Labour leader, said: ‘It now is upon us to deliver that change to each of those people that put their faith in us in the vote here in the East Midlands and we will do so with a positive case for the country.’

He listed Labour’s plans to ‘pick up the NHS’, make sure the streets are safe, build affordable homes, and provide secure jobs.

Sir Keir said: ‘That falls to us, because today is the day that we celebrate the beginning of the turning of the page, one of the last milestones now as we go into that general election.’

He added: ‘Let’s turn the page on decline and usher in national renewal with Labour.’

The Conservatives no longer deserve to be in power, Sir Keir Starmer said, as he celebrated a Labour mayoral victory in the East Midlands.

Speaking in Mansfield (pictured) Labour leader Sir Keir said: ‘I think the message here is very, very clear, and I think across the East Midlands there has been a sending of that message to the Government, which is we are fed up with your division, with your chaos, with your failure.

‘Fourteen years, and I am sorry, I don’t care which political party you support, if you leave your country in a worse state then when you found it 14 years later you do not deserve to be in Government for a moment longer.’

The turnout figures for the London Mayoral election have revealed huge numbers have voted in typically anti-Ulez areas.

The average turnout across London was 40.5 per cent, with 2,495,621 people of the 6,162,428 electorate going to the polls.

Labour worries of a shock defeat will only be worsened by the turnouts in Greater London, where many residents have been vehemently opposed to Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion.

In Bexley and Bromley the turnout was 48.38 per cent, while in Havering and Redbridge it was 42.98 per cent.

Croydon and Sutton had a 42.27 per cent turnout and Ealing and Hillingdon saw 42.98 per cent.

Ulez cameras have been sprayed, damaged and removed in many of the outer boroughs of London by anti-Ulez group the Blade Runners (pictured).

Defiant Rishi Sunak insisted Tories have ‘everything to fight for’ today as hopes rise that West Mids mayor Andy Street can hold on despite local elections carnage.

Putting a brave face on grim results, the PM admitted that voters are ‘frustrated’ but argued that Keir Starmer has not sealed the deal.

Mr Sunak is willing Mr Street to join Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen in securing a third term this afternoon, with the outcome thought to be on a knife edge.

Lord Houchen’s success has seemingly helped Mr Sunak quell a fresh coup bid from rebels, most of whom who have now conceded the leader will not change before the general election.

The counts are in full swing for the London mayoral election this morning.

It will likely take a few hours before it becomes clear who the winner will be.

It is believed that could be around 1.30pm, although an official declaration will probably be later than that.

As Labour fears grow over an election loss in London, the bookies have been changing the odds for Sadiq Khan winning a record third term.

Yesterday morning Khan was 1/25, this morning he is down to 1/10.

Meanwhile, Conservative rival Susan Hall was an outsider at 19/1 yesterday but is now at just 7/1.

If Khan wins this year, he will become the first London mayor to serve three terms in office.

Betfair spokesman Sam Rosbottom said: ‘While Sadiq Khan remains the firm favourite to win the London Mayoral Election, Betfair Exchange punters aren’t completely ruling Susan Hall out and she remains a contender in the market, suggesting there could be some doubts creeping in.’

As crunch time approaches for the London mayoral race, Labour worries are mounting over whether there might be a shock loss in the capital.

Labour has faced backlash among some of its supporters for its stance on the Israel-Hamas war and the ongoing situation in Gaza.

The i’s political correspondent Eleanor Langford told BBC 5 Live: ‘Three’s a lot of anxiety over the Mayoral race in London.

‘[I’m] sure Sadiq Khan has been losing sleep over it.’

The local elections for this year have proved to be torrid for the Conservative party as Labour have made hundreds of crucial gains in key election battlegrounds.

Rishi Sunak suffered the indignity of seeing a Labour mayor win in his own constituency.

The Prime Minister is braced for further pain as more results trickle in over the weekend which could increase pressure on his leadership of the Conservative Party and the country.

Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the Tories could be on course to lose 500 councillors in ‘one of the worst, if not the worst’ performances by the party in 40 years.

To see which parties won in your area, follow our interactive map below to reveal all the changes in England’s political makeup.

Sadiq Khan’s bid for a third term as London mayor is hanging in the balance today as insiders warn the election is too close to call.

Votes are set to be counted in the capital with Labour on high alert for Tory candidate Susan Hall to pull off a shock upset.

Polls in the run up to the ballot on Thursday had shown Mr Khan with a comfortable lead of between 10 and 22 points.

However, jitters started spreading through Labour circles yesterday amid rumours of a spike in turnout in outer London – typically dominated by Conservative voters and where anger about the ULEZ expansion has been most fierce.

Official turnout figures last night suggested it had been higher in outer London and lower in inner London – Mr Khan’s normal stronghold.

Supporters of Mr Khan are worried that he could have been damaged by a wider trend of Muslim voters shunning Labour over Keir Starmer’s strong support for Israel.

Former frontbench Labour MP Diane Abbott has claimed Labour’s alleged dismissal of supporters’ concerns about Gaza is ‘shameful’.

Abbott lost the Labour whip in April last year after she said Irish people, Jews and Travellers don’t experience racism as black people do.

Today she said: ‘Labour dismisses concerns of its supporters about genocide in Gaza. Claims only Muslims care. Shameful. #FreePalestine’

Labour MP Jess Phillips has appeared to mock the Conservatives’ response to their disastrous results in the local elections as ‘weird’.

In a Tweet this morning she wrote: ‘Is there some psychological study that was done that politicians have read that says, “you will win more votes if you act really cheery and borderline unhinged when faced with massive losses.”

‘Does it convince voters in the future if you insist the sky is purple. It’s weird.’

She added: ‘Can we not just say, I’m upset about this, I wish it had been different and I’ll crack on making it so?’

The Tories have claimed a vote for the Reform Party is effectively a vote for Labour.

The data seems to back that up. Psephologist John Curtis pointed out that in the the areas Reform ran, the Tories were down 17 per cent on average while in areas they didn’t rub, the Conservative vote was only down 11 per cent.

Science minister Andrew Griffith (pictured) told BBC: ‘If you vote for reform, you are going to get a Labour government, a Labour council, a Labour mayor.

‘You are going to get Keir Starmer in No 10 and an illegal immigrant amnesty.’

Rishi Sunak is braced for the result of key mayoral elections in London and the West Midlands, after the Conservatives were trounced in the first day of local election results.

As Friday’s result declarations closed, the Conservatives had suffered a net loss of 371 seats, and lost control of 10 councils.

Despite widespread losses, the Prime Minister appeared to take solace from the Tories’ win in the Tees Valley mayoral election.

All eyes will now turn to mayoral contests in London and the West Midlands, the results of which will be declared on Saturday.

Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan is now believed to have a closer-than-expected contest with Tory challenger Susan Hall in the capital, while a narrow contest is also likely for West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Streets (pictured).

Labour insiders have claimed that the mayoral election for London is on a knife edge, as bookies have slashed their odds on a shock defeat for Sadiq Khan.

Labour jitters were already spreading over Sadiq Khan’s prospects in London amid claims of low turnout and a Gaza backlash.

Polls ahead of the election on Thursday suggested the incumbent, Khan, was on track for a comfortable victory over his Tory rival.

The final surveys gave him a lead of between 10 and 22 points. Yet rumours have been circulating today that it could be significantly closer, with senior figures pointing to the impact of Gaza on other results across England.

Mr Khan has faced intense scrutiny over his record on law and order during the campaign.