London local elections 2022: Which council results could swing Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer fates?
Voters in London and the Home Counties went to the polls on Thursday in elections which could help decide the fate of Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer.
If the Conservatives suffer big losses, the party's MPs may decide the prime minister has become an electoral liability in the wake of partygate.
The Labour leader needs to make gains to convince his party he is the right man to lead them into the general election.
Elections are being contested in all 32 London boroughs and in some district councils in the Home Counties.
Here are some of the key contests to look out for in the ITV News London region.
Barnet: Labour’s top target in London for the third election in a row. The party failed narrowly to win control in 2014, while 2018 saw the council swing further towards the Conservatives, with local Labour members blaming the row over antisemitism in the national party. Labour needs to gain nine seats to form a majority. As with every council in London, all seats are being elected. (7am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Wandsworth: Another long-standing Labour target, but here the party managed to increased its number of councillors in both 2014 and 2018. The Tories have held the council since 1978 and have made a point of charging residents one of the lowest average levels of council tax in the country, so a Labour victory would be of symbolic significance. (5.30am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Hillingdon: Contains the constituency of the Prime Minister and has been controlled by the Conservatives since 2006. Labour is hoping to make gains, but the outcome is hard to predict as the size of the council is being cut from 65 to 53 seats. (4am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Westminster: Held by the Tories continuously since its creation in 1964. But Labour has slowly increased its number of councillors at recent elections and will want to make more progress this time. Given the current volatile political climate, plus a reduction in the size of the council from 60 to 54 seats, the final result could be close. (3am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Harrow: A council where the reduction in the number of seats from 63 to 55 could work in either Labour or the Conservatives’ favour. Labour won a narrow majority in both 2014 and 2018 but the borough’s electoral districts have been substantially redrawn for 2022 and both parties could profit from the new-look map. (5pm estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Sutton: A Liberal Democrat-Conservative battleground that has been run by the Lib Dems since 1990. The party should retain control again this year, but the Tories will hope to make gains and chip away at the Lib Dems’ small overall majority. (4am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Other key contests to look out for outside London
St Albans: Saw the Liberal Democrats make enough gains in 2021 to take overall control, but with a slim majority. The party will want to improve its numbers this year as an example of how it is now the main opposition to the Conservatives in parts of the so-called “Blue Wall” of southern England. The entire council is up for election. (4pm estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Basildon: Could provide clues to how the Conservatives are doing in the commuter belt around London. The party won control of the council last year and will hope to consolidate its position in elections for a third of its 42 seats. (1am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)
Stevenage: Another commuter-heavy area but this time it is Labour who will be hoping to make progress. The party has controlled the council continuously since its creation in 1973 but will want to show it can reverse the losses it made last year. A third of the seats are up for grabs. (2.30am estimated declaration on Friday, May 6)