Britons go to polls for Super Thursday elections

LONDON: Polling stations opened on Thursday for voters to cast their ballots in a set of elections which could shake up British politics and have profound implications for the future of the United Kingdom.

On what has been dubbed Super Thursday, polling stations opened at 7am across Great Britain in the largest test of political opinion outside a general election, with the future of the Labour Party and the state of the Union among the issues at play.

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon’s push for a second independence referendum means the stakes are high in the Holyrood contest.

In England, as well as local council and mayoral contests, the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election will indicate what progress — if any — Labour has made in regaining votes in its former northern heartlands.

Hartlepool was held by Labour with a majority of 3,595 in 2019 even as other bricks in the so-called “red wall” crumbled — in part due to the Brexit Party splitting the Tory vote. Defeat would be a blow to Sir Keir Starmer and provide a rare by-election gain for a governing party.

With results across England expected to filter through over several days as coronavirus restrictions slow the counting process, it could be a difficult long weekend for Labour.

YouGov local election polling published last week suggested the Tories could take over as the largest party in Bolton and Dudley, while Labour sources also fear they could lose control of both Sunderland and Durham councils for the first time in half a century.

The Prime Minister insisted it would be a “very tough fight” to win Hartlepool, a seat that has been Labour since its creation in 1974. The Conservatives hope to achieve a “hat trick” of successes, winning Hartlepool and retaining the mayoralties in Teesside and the West Midlands.

For Labour, success is expected in the form of Sadiq Khan winning a second term in London. While the results in England will determine who runs key authorities and give an indication of the state of politics ahead of the next general election due in 2024, the contest in Scotland could have a far greater impact.

The SNP is certain to emerge again as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament after the election, but it wants to win an overall majority of MSPs as it pushes for a second independence referendum — something which polls suggest remains in the balance.

In Wales, Mark Drakeford hopes to maintain Labour’s grip on the Senedd — but he may find himself forced to forge a new coalition to stay as First Minister. That could mean talks with Plaid Cymru, whose leader, Adam Price, has committed to an independence referendum within five years if his party wins a majority.

The impact of coronavirus has meant a bumper set of elections — including contests postponed from 2020 — and logistical difficulties for electoral administrators.