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Government wins legacy case at UK Supreme Court
In a statement, the NIO said: “We welcome the clarity provided today by the Supreme Court, which has confirmed that the ICRIR is fully equipped to deliver human rights-compliant investigations, and reaffirms the government’s position on the interpretation and application of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Nicola Bannon and Lynne Darcy are encouraging other victims of sexual abuse to come forward to the police.
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Elections 2026 live: counting under way after votes in England, Scotland and Wales | May 2026 elections
Key events
Here are some of the latest images from vote counts in England:
Meanwhile, as polls closed, deputy PM David Lammy said the elections had been “tough”.
He said:
I don’t want to sugarcoat it, the message from the doorstep is this is a tough election cycle.
This is a mid-term set of elections with people concerned about the cost of living and wanting to see the government go faster with quicker pace.
Lammy added that while Labour had run a “positive campaign”, the party’s “message of delivery” had been “drowned out by the politics of grievance”.
Keir Starmer has thanked party activists after polls closed.
In a post on X, the prime minister said:
To all the Labour members and volunteers who have supported local campaigns across the country: thank you.Together we will build a stronger and fairer Britain.
These elections are widely seen as the biggest test for his premiership since the general election.
What to look out for in Scotland
Libby Brooks
Libby Brooks is the Guardian’s Scotland correspondent
Although the incumbent Scottish National party is cruising towards a gravity-defying fifth term in office, the fine detail of the results and the subsequent makeup of the Holyrood chamber remains exceptionally unpredictable.
Polls this week showed Reform UK, which has gained considerable momentum in Scotland over the past 18 months, was neck and neck for second place with Scottish Labour, whose rating have suffered from growing public dissatisfaction with the UK Labour government, despite its leader, Anas Sarwar, taking the career-defining decision to call for Starmer to stand aside in February.
Many constituency seats are in the balance, and the SNP is by no means guaranteed a majority. It could then turn to the Scottish Greens – who are anticipating a strong showing thanks in part to a Polanski bounce, although the Green Party of England and Wales is a separate entity – for support to create a pro-independence majority at Holyrood.
The SNP leader, John Swinney, has pledged to hold a vote seeking the powers to hold a second independence referendum on the first day of a new parliament – despite the fact that the UK government has consistently refused previous demands and he can offer no alternative route.
While the first full council result in England isn’t expected until 2am, there may be some smaller results from midnight.
I’ll bring you updates here, but to see the full results for England, Scotland and Wales you can head to our results tracker:
What to look out for in Wales
Bethan McKernan
Bethan McKernan is the Guardian’s Wales correspondent
This week the Welsh parliament will grow from 60 to 96 members under a new, more proportional electoral system. Labour is expected to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since devolution in 1999, with Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth expected to become the new first minister, putting Welsh independence firmly on the agenda.
Coalition arithmetic makes it highly unlikely Reform will be able to form a government, even if it wins the most seats. If the numbers allow, Plaid Cymru will form a minority government without entering formal coalition agreements with Labour or the Green party.
Labour’s predicted losses are so catastrophic that some polls put the party in fourth place, after the Greens. Several polls suggest Eluned Morgan, the Labour first minister, will lose her seat.
The Senedd’s new list system has razor-sharp margins, making predictions very difficult. As little as 0.06% of the vote could decide the last (sixth) seat in each constituency, according to the pollsters More in Common.
Which results are we expecting first?
Aletha Adu
Aletha Adu is a Guardian political correspondent
The early hours of Friday morning will produce only a handful of declarations but they could shape the mood of the entire elections.
Hartlepool is one of the first major tests of whether Reform UK can convert polling momentum into real council gains. The declaration guide itself flags the possibility of Reform making significant advances there as one of the key storylines of the night.
If Reform performs strongly, Labour strategists will worry less about isolated local setbacks and more about the emergence of a durable anti-establishment challenger capable of eating into Labour’s old coalition in towns the party once considered safe.
Oxford could offer an early sign of how fragmented progressive and anti-Tory voters have become, with Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats all competing for similar voters. The declaration guide refers to “a mess of different liberal winners in Oxford”.
Dudley matters because it sits in politically volatile Midlands territory where Labour faces pressure from Reform amid frustration over immigration, living standards and distrust of Westminster politics.
You can see a full election results timeline here:
Polls closed in England, Scotland and Wales
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of election results in England, Scotland and Wales.
Thursday’s votes covered the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and 136 local councils in England, where 5,014 seats were contested, including every one on all of London’s 32 borough councils, more than a dozen borough councils, six unitary councils, six county councils and three district councils. A further 73 councils held elections for half or a third of the seats available.
There were also six mayoral contests – in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Watford.
So, there is a lot to come…
We’re expecting the first results in England between midnight and 2am, but counting in Scotland and Wales does not begin until around 9am – so those results are some way off.
As ever, we’ll bring you the latest news, colour and reaction throughout the night.
Feel free to get in touch – hamish.mackay@theguardian.com – if you spot any errors. My colleague Andrew Sparrow will take over at 6am, and comments will open from 8am.
UK News
Crystal Palace v Shakhtar Donetsk: Europa Conference League semi-final, second leg – live | Conference League
Key events
76 mins: Almost game over here, as Munoz feeds the ball into Larsen, who turns his marker and sees his close-range shot ping away off Riznyk’s heel.
75 mins: A change for Shakhtar as Brazilian playmaker Pedrinho is replaced by Brazilian playmaker Lucas Ferreira. Lassina Traoré gets a shot away, but it takes a deflection and bobbles through to Henderson.
73 mins: Kamada draws a foul in the Palace half to end a spell of lukewarm Shakhtar pressure. Elsewhere, Freiburg are 3-0 up (4-2 on agg) against Braga, and are heading to the Europa League final in Istanbul.
71 mins: The game has lost its rhythm, with Palace’s second goal taking the wind from Shakhtar sails. Jorgen Strand Larsen is on for Mateta, Oli Glasner’s first change of the night.
“In response to Mitchell, whilst I understand the sentiment if you removed the ‘big five’ leagues, then would the attendances at the games be enough to finance the competition?” wonders Ian.
I think that’s the difficulty – it’s devalued if it’s not a truly Europe-wide tournament. On the other hand, it’s looking like an England-Spain final again, albeit one with a more romantic vibe than last year.
Aston Villa lead 2-0 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate. Can Forest fight back? John Brewin is watching.
65 mins: Pedrinho gets his half-volley on target, Henderson grabbing the ball to his left – but the offside flag has gone up.
An alternative argument: “The Conference League is a great competition isn’t it?” writes John Breenan. “A possible final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, what’s not to like about that?”
John also wonders: “After the furore about dropping down to Conference League, has it been better for Palace than being in the Europa League?” Palace fans, get in touch.
61 mins: From the throw-in, the ball bobbles across goal where is met by Mateta’s telescopic leg. Sadly, his effort is overhit and flies off in the direction of the South Norwood Morley’s.
60 mins: Mitchell, who alongside fellow wing-back Munoz has been excellent, takes aim from 25 yards out but sees his shot deflected away for a throw in.
“Unpopular opinion,” warns Mitchell Porter. “I think that we should remove the top five European leagues from the Conference League and keep it for the leagues that don’t have their finances.”
59 mins: The Palace back three stroke the ball around, trying to build those possession stats – it’s currently 68% to 32% in Shakhtar’s favour. Not that it really matters.
56 mins: Changes for Shakhtar, as Lassina Traore replaces the busy but wasteful Elias. Newerton is also on, replacing holding midfielder Oleh Ocheretko.
That was Palace at their devastating best on the break, and Shakhtar now need three goals to force extra time. “Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, we’re going to Germany,” sing the exultant home fans.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar (5-2 on agg) Sarr 52′
Palace break away in trademark style and after the referee plays at least two advantages, Mitchell crosses and Sarr flicks across goal, and in off the far post!
51 mins: Save! An unfortunate ricochet presents the ball to Elias, who drills it low and hard from a tight angle. Dean Henderson stands up and gets a foot on the ball …
50 mins: Isaque shows a first flash of skill as he tries to thread a pass into Elias’ feet – but it’s just overhit and Henderson snaffles the ball.
48 mins: Wharton links up with Mitchell, whose cross just evades Mateta. Wharton picks it up again and lifts the ball back into the mixer, where Riznyk grabs it under pressure from Mateta and Munoz.
47 mins: Will Palace look to be a touch less reactive in this half? They’ve started with a steady spell of midfield possession …
Second half
Arda Turan makes a second Shakhtar change, with Alisson Santana heading off. He’s replaced by Isaque Silva, a teenage talent from (you guessed it) Brazil.
Rayo Vallecano lead Strasbourg 1-0 (2-0 on agg) at half-time, and are on course for the final in Leipzig. Which begs the question: are Rayo the Spanish Crystal Palace? It feels like a good fit, but thoughts welcome.
Elsewhere at half-time, Villa lead Forest 1-0, making it 1-1 on aggregate. The winner will probably play Freiburg in the Europa League final; they lead 2-0 (3-2 on agg) at home to 10-man Braga.
“In the light of Peter Oh’s email (best of the season, I’d contend), I’ll be really happy with either of these teams going through, and either of Forest or Villa too,” writes Gary Naylor.
“What I’m wondering is whether that makes for a better night than the usual partisan stance of wanting the usual suspects sent packing ASAP? I suspect not – a bit sadly.”
Half time: Crystal Palace 1-1 Shakhtar (4-2 on agg)
Palace emerge from a testing first half with their two-goal cushion intact. Pedro Henrique’s own goal put them in charge, but Eguinaldo’s silky equaliser means Shakhtar aren’t done just yet.
45+2 mins: Shakhtar’s final attacking foray of the half ends with Pedro Henrique fouling Sarr.
45 mins: Three minutes of stoppage time. In the other semi-final, Rayo Vallecano lead Strasbourg 1-0 on the night, and 2-0 on aggregate. Good news for el coeficiente.
Palace hit the post! After soaking up a spell of pressure, Palace push forward and Mateta connects acrobatically with Munoz’s cross. His effort beats Riznyk but clips the outside of the post!
No penalty! The ball hit Mateta on the thigh and bounced on to his arm – and VAR doesn’t seek to intervene after the referee waves play on.
40 mins: Palace are hanging on a bit as half-time approaches, and Shakhtar have a corner, pinged towards the near post by Alisson – and there’s a big shout for handball!
There’s a goal at Villa Park – but which way has it gone, John Brewin?
37 mins: Shakhtar still need two goals to pull level on aggregate, but they look capable. Alisson is involved again here, thudding an effort a few feet over the bar.
35 mins: Woof! Seconds after the restart, Sarr sends a long shot not far wide of goal. The pace is relentless.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Shakhtar (4-2 agg) Eguinaldo 33′
Shakhtar keep the ball and Henrique slips it sideways to Eguinaldo, who takes a touch and gently lifts the ball into the top corner! There’s a split-second of confusion before the away fans celebrate.
32 mins: Munoz storms upfield and hits a shot straight at Riznyk, and Shakhtar counter at equivalent speed, with Alisson’s shot well blocked at the far post …
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