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ELECTIONS LIVE: Barnet polling stations screw-up leads to a call for a public inquiry
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
Britain votes! The nation is going to the polls today after weeks of bitter campaigning, voting on everything from city mayors to regional assemblies, local councils to police and crime commissioners.
Voting is closed and now the exit polls are coming in! Click here for the latest.
Here are the key stories:
Polls are open! The latest national public opinion polls from Opinium put the Conservatives on 38 points ahead of Labour on 30.
However, Labour's Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan leads Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith by 20 points going into election day, according to the most recent poll by YouGov.
Things are not looking good for Labour outside of the London Mayor race, with rumours that the party could lose more than 100 council seats. The elections will serve as a crucial early test of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.
Turnout is feared to be at a record low.
There's calls for a public inquiry after a massive admin cock-up led to thousands of Londoners being turned away from polling stations in Barnet this morning — including the UK's Chief Rabbi.
The Conservatives could push Labour into third place in Scotland in Scottish Parliamentary elections, as the SNP seeks to maintain its overwhelming support
The elections come hot on the heels of a toxic row over alleged anti-Semitism within Labour's ranks — threatening to harm the party's electoral chances.
LATEST:
21:10: ONE HOUR TO GO
Reminder: Polls close at 22:00, there's just under an hour to go.
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You've still got time to vote! Look up your polling station here: https://t.co/WfldRDAIzo #TeamKhan pic.twitter.com/4yG50IJ8be
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There's still 1 hour left to vote - polls are open to 10pm & you don't need your polling card to vote. #BackZac2016 pic.twitter.com/kLh0Ez7cXr
20:32: LABOUR LOSSES RUMOURED
Signifigant Labour losses have been rumoured throughout the day, with some of the latest focusing on Sheffield:
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Rumours Labour may have lost up to 10 council seats in Sheffield.
19:56: LONDON MAYOR CANDIDATES HEAD HOME
With just over two hours before polls close, Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith are campaigning near their homes bases — Khan in his constituency Tooting, and Goldsmith in Twickenham, next door to his constituency Richmond Park.
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I'm out in Tooting with some #TeamKhan members. Where are you? Send your photos using the hashtag. pic.twitter.com/6vd4962O9N
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Getting out the vote in Twickenham - thank you to everyone working so hard for me today! #BackZac2016 pic.twitter.com/xBbk3u5eUU
19:22: LONDON MAYOR CANDIDATES MAKE LATE-DAY PUSH
Both Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith have released short late-day videos encouraging their supporters to go vote.
Goldsmith's has the candidate speaking into the camera by himself, and highlights that "this election matters so much for London."
Khan's is a longer and more produced video, touting celebrity endorsements and showing off some of his policy proposals for affordable housing and freezing fares.
Watch the videos below:
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Polls close in less than 3 hours. This election is close & matters so much for London. Be sure to vote! #BackZac2016https://t.co/olDfbchc43
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Thank you to everyone who has voted already today.
Thousands will miss out unless we spread the word!
RT this now.https://t.co/RjdpCPJUhs
19:04: HERE'S WHEN ELECTION RESULTS COME IN
BuzzFeed has put together a handy guide for when to expect election results. Some key times: Polls close at 22:00, first council results at 23:00, and London mayor results at 18:00 Friday.
Here's what you should be looking out for:
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Here's a handy guide to what election results to expect when pic.twitter.com/O0bnQyjxd9
18:22: LABOUR POLLING PROJECTS LOSSES
Internal Labour polling reportedly projects about 100 losses, according to New Statesman political editor George Eaton. Eaton's source cited Nuneaton and Dudley as potential losses.
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Source adds that losses will be in marginals like Nuneaton and Dudley, with wasted votes in strongholds.
18:09: DRUDGE REPORT FEATURES 'LONDONISTAN'
Right-wing American news site Drudge Report is currently leading with a splash on Sadiq Khan's religious background that some people are calling out as racist and misleading.
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Sadiq Khan is a social democrat who favors gay marriage, but since he's Muslim, Drudge says he's ushering in Sharia pic.twitter.com/H6KBT0XrLd
17:46: LONDON MAYORAL ELECTION HEADED FOR A DISAPPOINTING TURN OUT?
Jim Pickard, Chief Political Correspondent for the Financial Times, has tweeted saying we shouldn't expect a record high turn out at this year's London mayoral election. In fact, it could be close to an all-time low.
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One source suggests turnout in London of just 12 per cent as of 4pm: if true, could be heading for a record mayoral low.
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It's not a final projection: everyone cool your boots. @MikeRossP But indicates turnout won't hit the um dizzying heights of 38% in 2012.
17:38: JEREMY CORBYN IS ON THE HUNT FOR FIRST TIME VOTERS
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Naomi is a 1st time voter & is about to #VoteLabour because she's against Tories' £9k / year university tuition fees pic.twitter.com/TfXOHlXzxZ
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First-time Labour voters who are sending David Cameron a message today #VoteLabour pic.twitter.com/vlveaXSLs5
Jeremy Corbyn is currently speaking to groups of first time voters around the capital. The Labour leader enjoys strong support among Britain's youth.
17:16: SADIQ KHAN WANTS TO "FIX THE TORY HOUSING CRISIS" — CAN HE?
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Back on the Henry Prince estate where I grew up. I'll be the council estate boy who fixes the Tory housing crisis. pic.twitter.com/ou5Fu9iwMq
The candidates vying to be London's next mayor may not agree on much — but they all seem share the belief that the crisis of unaffordable, low-in-supply housing is one of the biggest difficulties facing Londoners right now.
Election front-runner Sadiq Khan has promised a series of radical measures to bring the cost of living in London down, and put the number of houses available on the market up.
The MP for Tooting has pledged to make 50% of all new homes "affordable," and reduce the number of major housing projects being sold-off to foreign investors. He's also promised to introduce a rent cap to combat the capital's soaring rent levels.
A Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) report published last month said both Khan and Goldsmith will fall short of meeting the 50,000 homes a year target needed to meet supply if they don't build homes on greenbelt land.
16:53: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTHERN IRISH ASSEMBLY ELECTION
In Northern Ireland, people are voting for who they want to represent them at the national assembly in Belfast. The assembly is made up of 108 representatives (MLAs) — six for each of the 18 constituencies.
In the 2011 election, the right-wing Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won 38 seats, while republican party Sinn Féin won 29. This meant that DUP leader at the time Peter Robinson was elected First Minister, while Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams became his deputy.
No major changes are expected in this year's election. The DUP is predicted to come first again and its new leader, Arlene Foster, is expected be elected First Minister. One of the biggest talking points is apathy among Northern Irish voters, amid fears that the turnout could be as low as 53%.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
16:20: BARNET COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE SAYS HE WILL NOT RESIGN
Andrew Travers, the chief executive of Barnet Council and the person officially responsible for delivering elections in the borough, said he will not resign over this morning's polling stations fiasco, according to the Barnet & Whetstone Press.
A spokesperson for Travers told the local newspaper that he will not be resigning, but instead the council will be carrying out a review of what went wrong on Thursday morning.
Thousands of Londoners were turned away from polling stations across the north London borough this morning, when an admin error led to polling lists being issued incorrectly. You can read more about this story here.
15:56: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN WALES?
Voters from 40 constituencies and five larger regions across Wales will elect 60 representatives to the Welsh assembly today. The elections are taking place against a backdrop of national angst, with thousands of steel jobs at Port Talbot hanging in the balance.
The Labour Party won a exactly half of the seats in the 2011 elections, and is expected to remain the majority party, albeit with a reduced winning margin. There's even a possibility that the party — led by Carwyn Jones — may not receive the vote share it needs to form a majority government. In this case, it would likely consider forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats or nationalists Plaid Cymru.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
15:36: AN ANTI-MONARCHY GROUP WANTS THE WELSH AND SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTS TO DITCH THE QUEEN ONCE ELECTED
Away from England, the anti-monarchy group Republic has launched a petition calling for the newly-elected Welsh assembly to swear allegiance to the people of their country, rather than the Queen, according to The Guardian. The group has launched a similar campaign for the new Scottish Parliament, too.
The petition regarding Scottish Parliament reads:
It’s one of the great ironies of our political system that our democratically elected representatives are forced to swear allegiance to an unelected monarch.It’s an insult to democracy, and to the voters that participate. The oath has to change.This petition calls upon the Scottish Parliament to establish a new oath of allegiance, one that pledges allegiance to the people of Scotland, not to the Queen.
15:15: MORE POLITICIANS HAVE THEIR SAY ON THE BARNET FIASCO
It looks like the events in Barnet this morning will be one of the major talking points to come out of today's elections. Labour MP and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Chris Bryant has had his day in the last few minutes.
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Really shocking incompetence that 1000s of voters have been refused a vote in Barnet.
15:05: THE UK'S CHIEF RABBI WAS ONE OF PEOPLE UNABLE TO VOTE IN BARNET
Among the 236,196 registered voters who were affected by the admin cock-up at Barnet polling stations this morning was Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and his wife Valerie. The pair were "disappointed" to be turned away when they arrived at their local polling station at around 08:30 this morning, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
The Rabbi and his wife were due to fly to Amsterdam so will not be able to return to the polling station to cast their votes, according to the Mail.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
14:49: HERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT ELECTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE TODAY
Millions of people are visiting polling stations in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland today, with thousands of political seats being contested. Here's a simple guide by BI reporter Adam Payne to what elections are taking place and what exactly is up for grabs.
14:18: LONDON MAYOR BORIS JOHNSON CASTS HIS VOTE
The current mayor of London Boris Johnson has in the last few minutes cast his vote in the mayoral and Assembly elections at a polling station in Islington, north London. Johnson, pictured below with his wife Marina Wheeler, will be hoping fellow Tory Zac Goldsmith can defy the polls and keep the Conservatives in City Hall.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
14:09: LABOUR LONDON ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE ON THE BARNET FIASCO: "IT'S WOEFUL INCOMPETENCE"
Andrew Dismore joins a list of local politicians who have heavily criticised those accountable for the huge error which affected hundreds of polling stations across Barnet this morning. Speaking to the Standard, he said:
"How on earth someone running the election doesn’t know the difference between the supplementary register, which is a few dozen pages or so, and the main register which is like a telephone directory, just beggars belief.
“It’s woeful incompetence. Every election Barnet seems to cock something up, but in the scale of Barnet cock-ups this is mammoth.”
1350: THE LABOUR LONDON ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE IS PUTTING TOGETHER A DOSSIER OF ALL THE BARNET PROBLEMS
Barnet Council may have resumed voting after an admin error led to thousands of voters being turned away this morning but now it is fire-fighting against calls for a formal complaints and a public inquiry— both of which were made by political candidates.
Now, Andrew Dismore, Labour’s London assembly candidate for Barnet and Camden, said that he is putting together a dossier of all the problems Barnet voters faced today and urged people who were refused a vote to email him at andrew@andrewdismore.org.uk.
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1340: RECAP OF WHAT THESE ELECTIONS MEAN FOR BRITISH POLITICS
Millions of people in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are set to vote on Thursday morning in the most significant set of elections since last year's general election. The results will provide the first true barometer of public opinion since the 2015 election.
Amid the heaps of stats and forecasts, are some key questions — what do these elections actually mean for the country? And who needs what to emerge as a "winner"?
BI reporter Adam Payne put together a handy breakdown of what they could mean for national politics.
1325: MILLENNIALS (AND OTHER AVID SOCIAL MEDIA USERS) ARE BEING WARNED ABOUT BREAKING THE LAW BY TAKING SELFIES
Technically there is nothing in legislation that says you can't take a selfie and post it on various social networking sites — like Snapchat or Instagram — while in a polling station.
BUT because of complex laws that relate to maintaining the secrecy of the ballot, the Electoral Commission strongly advises again taking photos into polling stations.
This is because you could inadvertently reveal or suggest how someone is voting while inside the polling station.
Punishment for the offence carries a £5,000 fine or six months in prison.
That is why the following signs have been put up across the country — although Microsoft Office applications and an XBox feed into this equation is unsure.
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"We must tell those millennials not to use their Xbox or post a selfie to LinkedIn in the polling station" pic.twitter.com/0ogDsDiQ2q
Furthermore, irony isn't lost on some:
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An elderly man took the piss out of me for taking a photo of the polling station sign for Instagram
1313: BARNET VOTERS ARE GIVEN EMERGENCY PROXY VOTES
Barnet Council confirmed that it is giving them a chance to vote via an "emergency proxy vote" — which is when someone else can vote for you if you are unable to make the polling station yourself.
"Proxy voting means that if you aren't able to cast your vote in person, you can have someone you trust cast your vote for you.
A Barnet Council spokesman said:
"If you attended a polling station in Barnet this morning, and you were turned away and therefore could not vote, and you are unable to return due to work reasons, then you may be able to use an emergency proxy vote.
"You will need to complete an application form and return the form by 5pm today. Find out more about how to vote by emergency proxy."
1305: THE BARNET POLLING STATIONS PROBLEM AFFECTED 236,196 REGISTERED VOTERS
Barnet Council just confirmed that all of its 155 polling stations were affected by the admin error that caused voters to be turned away.
The council says that voting has resumed as normal but the blunder has affected 236,196 registered voters.
Even though voting has resumed, it is not a guarantee that voters that turned up this morning are able to return later in the day or evening to a polling station — which has been a cause for complaint by Britons across social media.
1249: #DOGSOUTSIDEPOLLINGSTATIONS IS TRENDING AGAIN
Voters have from 7 a.m. BST to 10 p.m. BST to cast their votes. But in the meantime, social media users get treated a flurry of pictures of voters' dogs waiting patiently outside the polling stations.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
We picked our favourites here.
1246: REMINDER OF RESULTS TIMINGS
We're got a long way to go under voting ends, let alone when final results come in. Here is a good guide from BBC's Daily Politics:
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Here are our best guesses for what election results will come in when over the next few days pic.twitter.com/zYfUVs0Z0t
1241: MORE POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS ARE CALLING FOR POTENTIAL LEGAL ACTION OVER BARNET POLLING STATION PROBLEMS
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Barnet & Camden candidate @Andrew_Dismore says voting shambles 'appalling and outrageous'. Adds legal challenge 'probable' if vote close
1235: BARNET ADMIN SCREW-UP IS LEADING TO CALLS FOR A PUBLIC INQUIRY
Voters in Barnet may now technically be allowed to start voting again after the council gave the green light but it doesn't mean the contentious situation is done and dusted.
Sophie Walker, the Women’s Equality Party mayoral candidate is filing a formal complaint and the Liberal Democrats in Barnet are calling for a public inquiry.
This is what the LibDem spokesman Alasdair Hill said in a statement:
“The Barnet Liberal Democrats are calling for a full public inquiry as to why the presiding officers at Barnet polling stations do not have the full electoral roll and only the amended list ... It can only be seen as an affront to democracy. People may not be able to turn up later to vote and the lack of preparedness for today demonstrates contempt to due process and our democratic rights. We call for a full public inquiry into how this could have happened, in particular how the outsourcing of all services by the Conservative run Barnet Council could have impacted on this.”
1230: BARNET VOTING RESUMES
Barnet Council said in a statement:
"All the updated electoral registers are now in place and people can vote as normal. We are advising people who were unable to vote this morning to return again before the polling stations close if at all possible. We apologise for the problems voters have experienced."
1201: WILL A FORMAL COMPLAINT OVER THE BARNET POLLING STATION PROBLEMS FORCE A RERUN?
After the Women’s Equality Party mayoral candidate Sophie Walker said she's filing a formal complaint about how people were being turned away from voting this morning (you can read about it in detail here) in Barnet, it begs speculation over whether the debacle will force a re-run of voting.
However, legally this looks unlikely for now.
Law states that contesting elections can only happen:
AFTER the results have been announced.
And by lodging an election petition.
It can be an incredibly lengthy process because it goes through Royal Courts of Justice, which in turn decides whether to proceed with legal action or reject a motion.
1143: FORMAL COMPLAINT MADE ABOUT THE BARNET VOTING MESS
Sophie Walker, the Women’s Equality Party mayoral candidate has filed a formal complaint, says Press Association, as cited by The Guardian and The Telegraph.
Here is an excerpt from the PA report that the Guardian published in full:
[Walker] told the Press Association: “I am very disappointed. I have spent my morning responding to messages from people upset that they could not vote. Women first got the vote 100 years ago and there are women today who have been unable to vote.”
Walker, who will be voting in Barnet later, added: “These are vital votes, particularly for smaller parties. “We will be pursuing a complaint.”
1135: #DOGSATPOLLINGSTATIONS IS POPULAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA AGAIN
Dogs are not always allowed to come in the polling station with you when you vote in Britain.
So, this usually leads to a menagerie of dogs sitting patiently outside the polling station until their owners finish voting. Over the years, the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations has trended as owners tweet, Instagram, and Snapchat cute pictures of their dogs outside.
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Now this is what it's all about! Our Mavis 🐶 #dogsatpollingstations 🐶✏️❌ pic.twitter.com/GXde876nJy
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Just voted #dogsatpollingstations pic.twitter.com/6bI03Fj3ni
1123: MORE FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS FLOOD IN ABOUT THE HUGE ADMIN ERROR SURROUNDING THE BARNET VOTE
Would-be voters are coming forward and explaining their dismay over not being able to vote in Barnet this morning due, what officials touted it as, an administrative error.
In the Guardian's "Eyewitness" section — a form of crowdsourcing for on the ground reports — a user called "kirstyguard" said the Guardian's blog is wrong and that "it is not an issue about turning up without polling cards. Everyone I witnessed this morning (including me) HAD a polling card and could not vote. It might be slowly resolving itself now but it is not an issue of people turning up without their cards."
Elsewhere, Paul Edwards, councillor for the Underhill ward told The Telegraph:
I was at the polling station in Underhill at 7am and people were being turned away because they didn't have the proper register in the venue.
The list they had only included the people added on to the list since last October up until the cut off point.
People were being turned away in droves. There were about 40 people turned away while I was there, people were trying to vote before work as they would not be back home in time tonight.
1114: THE DEBACLE IN TORY-STRONGHOLD BARNET IS BEING TOUTED AS A BLOW TO LABOUR TOO
Hundreds of voters in the north London borough of Barnet were "turned away" from polling stations following a major administrative error.
This could be a huge blow to the Conservative candidate for the Mayor of London — Zac Goldsmith — because Barnet is a Tory stronghold.
However, Labour MPs are just as outraged because they say that it could potentially be a huge blow to voters wanting to change the area in a Labour council instead:
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Tory Barnet Council privatised everything. Now people can't even vote there this morning. Time to vote #Labour
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Serious questions have to be asked when citizens are disenfranchised - this statement from Barnet not good enough pic.twitter.com/xfIgk6C5ol
1055: JEREMY CORBYN IS SNAPCHATTING HIS WAY THROUGH ELECTION DAY
Corbyn, the leader of the Labour party, is using the millennials' go-to social media tool to show what he's up to on election day.
You can catch him on the handle @jeremycorbynmp but here are some of the highlights so far.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
Dan Kitwood / Getty Staff
1050: YOUNGSTERS ARE BOOSTING POLLING FIGURES IN SCOTLAND
For the first time, 16 and 17-year-olds are able to vote in the Scottish parliament elections — and now this is proving to be a huge boost to overall registered voters.
According to the Electoral Commission Scotland, cited by the Guardian, the total number of Scots who have registered to vote in today’s election is 4,100,280.
To put this into perspective:
2011 — 3,950,626 registered for the Scottish parliamentary election.
2015 — 4,099,532 registered for the UK General Election.
However, while the number of registered voters seems healthy, today's figure is notably 200,000 below the registered number of voters from the Scottish referendum in 2014.
1044: LIBDEM LEADER TIM FARRON GETS A BIT AHEAD OF HIMSELF
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Farron has deleted it now, but Twitter never forgets... pic.twitter.com/ApMvj7I0K2
1035: THIS HANDY ONLINE TOOL ALLOWS YOU FIND OUT WHAT ELECTIONS YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN
As we've established, there's a vast array of elections going on today:
Mayoral elections.
Council elections.
Welsh Assembly elections.
Scottish Parliament elections.
Police and crime commissioner elections.
However, it is confusing as to what you are eligible to vote in.
But a team from the London School of Economics has put together a neat tool which will tell you exactly what elections you can and can't vote in. It's called the Democratic Dashboard and you can check it out here.
1025: THESE ARE THE STATS LABOUR NEEDS TO BEAT TODAY
Dan Kitwood / Getty StaffThe next General Election may not be for another four years but today is milestone moment for how Labour is faring under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
The Telegraph said that polling experts suggest Labour could lose around 175 council seats after today. The right-leaning newspaper then pointed out an interest set of facts about how there have only been two times when an opposition party has lost council seats.
1982 — Labour lost 225 seats while the Conservatives also lost 98 seats.
1985 — Labour lost 124 but still outperformed the Conservatives, who lost 202 seats.
So as you can see, if Labour does lose nearly 200 council seats, it could be a devastating indictment to Corbyn's leadership.
1010: RECAP ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SCOTLAND
The Scottish National Party (SNP) won 56 out of 59 seats at the UK general election and it's popularity hasn't waned since then.
Polls show that SNP is on course to take the largest share of seats.
Scotland uses a proportional voting system to elect 129 members (MSPs) to its parliament. Each of the country's 73 constituencies will elect one MSP, while eight larger regions will elect seven each. The Scottish National Party — led by Nicola Sturgeon — is expected to enjoy a comfortable victory. The party won 69 seats in 2011 election and was leading a Survation poll published on Tuesday with a resounding 43%.
1002: FULL ROUND UP OF CHAOS AT POLLING STATIONS IN BARNET, NORTH LONDON
Here's a summary of what is going on in Barnet this morning, where voters are being turned away from polling stations as a result of a mix-up.
0956: — NICOLA STURGEON VOTES IN SCOTLAND
Voting is underway in Scotland as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon casts her vote:
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Casting her #SP16 vote. @NicolaSturgeon at a polling station in Glasgow https://t.co/t770f3N9Y6 pic.twitter.com/ROfwB6yA3O
0952: — ENTER YOUR POSTCODE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE FOR TODAY
With so many different elections going on today across the country, finding out what you are voting for is more confusing than it should be. Get some clarification by entering your postcode here:
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0940: — PRIME MINISTER RETURNS FROM VOTING
Here's a picture of David Cameron with his wife Samantha Cameron after voting today in Wesminster:
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Sam and I just got back from voting - whatever you're doing today, make sure you #VoteConservative and #BackZac2016. pic.twitter.com/dfSW6aQnS8
0915: — DAVID CAMERON AND JEREMY CORBYN HAVE BOTH NOW VOTED
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has cast his vote. So has Prime Minister David Cameron, according to the BBC. Pictures to follow shortly.
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Just voted for @UKlabour, @SadiqKhan and @JennetteArnold #VoteLabour pic.twitter.com/vg9AiC3piC
0913: — 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS CAST THEIR FIRST VOTES IN SCOTLAND
Outside of Barnet, voting seems to be running smoothly across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to vote for the first time.
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Election day & proud of Scotland as it will be the 1st time 16 and 17yr olds have been eligible to vote in a Scottish Parliament election!
0855: — BARNET COUNCIL ADMITS PROBLEM
Barnet Council has admitted that there are "problems with voting registers." Voters are being asked to come back later, though no time frame has been given.
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We are aware of problems with voting registers at our polling stations. This being resolved. Please take voting cards with you.
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Please can voters unable to vote this morning return to their polling station later if possible. We apologise for these problems.
There is speculation from commentator Mark Ferguson that Barnet have the "updates to the electoral register, but not the actual register."
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Apparently polling stations in Barnet have the updates to the electoral register but not the actual register. If true, that's disastrous
0846: — THE "SHAMBLES" IN BARNET CONTINUES
Scenes are deteriorating into anger and even "tears" in Barnet, where voters have been turned away by staff, after a mix-up with polling lists.
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@ArjunMittra @BarnetCouncil #LondonMayor2016. My card. Says don't bring. 30y #eastfinchley resident left in tears. pic.twitter.com/xk8P5qt1Ps
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Disenfranchised. #eastfinchley booth @7am. 9th in queue. All had polling cards. No one (none) on register. #shocker #LondonVotes (or cant)
0840 — LABOUR LEADER JEREMY CORBYN ON HIS WAY TO VOTE
Jeremy Corbyn has posted on Twitter that he is on his way to vote in the Mayoral and Council elections. Corbyn said he wants to "Send David Cameron and the Conservatives a message today." The elections across the UK will mark a critical early test in the Islington North MP's leadership.
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On my way to vote. Send David Cameron and the Conservatives a message today #VoteLabour pic.twitter.com/5X7R9CSqKY
0833 — CHUKA UMUNNA CRITICISES "NEGATIVE" TORY CAMPAIGN
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Every senior Lib Dem I speak to is giving their second preference to @SadiqKhan today. Greens too.All appalled by the negative Tory campaign
0818 — ZAC GOLDSMITH AND SADIQ KHAN HAVE BOTH VOTED
The mayoral candidates for the Conservatives and Labour have both voted. Sadiq Khan was first to tweet about it at 0755. Khan arrived at his local polling station in Streatham with his wife Saadiya.
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I've just voted. Make sure you vote today - you have until 10pm.
I'll be a Mayor for all Londoners. pic.twitter.com/8zmE6dyHQ8
Zac Goldsmith followed at 0816. Goldsmith is pictured voting with his wife Alice:
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Alice and I have just voted - make sure you do too. Polling stations are open until 10pm tonight. #BackZac2016 pic.twitter.com/DXXGI8sklA
0808 — BARNET VOTERS TOLD TO "COME BACK LATER"
Voters in Barnet are being told to go away and come back later, according to local news website Times Series. The mishap is a result of a mix up with voting lists.
Voters in the town are being advised to take polling cards with them to prove their identity:
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People being turned away from polling stations in #Barnet. Take polling cards with you to prove you've gone to the right place!
0758 — APPARENT SCREW UP IN BARNET
People are reporting on Twitter that an apparent major screw-up with the lists in Barnet has left many people unable to vote. You don't normally need your polling card to vote — but in this instance, people are being turned away without it.
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Not on voter list at LB Barnet polling station. Allowed to vote as I had my polling card. Just Barnet or elsewhere too? #mayoralelections
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@jimwaterson yes it is. I just went to vote and none of my family is on the list. All registered.
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Barnet voters bring your polling card to vote. Barnet stuffed up lists and without card you might lose vote
As soon as we have more information on this, we'll let you know.
0712 — RESULTS SCHEDULE
Wondering when results will start coming in after the polls close? Over at The Guardian, Rowena Mason has a good roundup of when we should expect to start hearing who won there. The short answer is that some results will trickle in overnight — including by-elections, and the Scottish Parliament, with council results coming in in dribs and drabs well into Friday.
The key vote that many are watching — the London mayoral race — is expected between 5PM and 10PM on Friday.
0700 — POLLS OPEN
Polls are open! If you're eligible to vote in any of the UK's various elections held today (more info on that below), then head along to a polling booth at any time between now and 10PM tonight.
0600 — GOOD MORNING!
Hello, and welcome to Business Insider UK's liveblog for the 2016 elections!
Polls open in an hour in what promises to be an series of exciting elections. Here's what you need to know going into it.
The Basics
There are a number of elections being contested across the UK today. These are:
Mayoral elections in London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Salford.
Council elections at 124 English councils.
Police Commissioner elections in England and Wales (but not London).
Northern Irish assembly elections.
Welsh assembly elections.
Scottish Parliament elections.
London assembly elections.
If you're unsure of what you're eligible to vote in, then BuzzFeed has put together a great tool. Just enter your postcode and it'll tell you what elections are being held in your area.
Polls are open between 7 a.m. BST and 10 p.m. BST — go to your local polling station to vote, unless you signed up in advance for a postal vote. You don't need to take your polling card with you to vote, but if you didn't register (or were already registered), then it's too late now — sorry!
We'll get exit polls immediately after polls close at 10 p.m. BST (it's actually illegal to publish any before then), with the proper results coming in as they're counted overnight and into tomorrow morning.
Today is a test of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership — and David Cameron's
Dan Kitwood / Getty StaffThese elections will be a critical early test of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.
The veteran politician has huge support among the party base, but the Parliamentary party is far less warm towards him, amid fears his politics are too left-wing for the general public.
A strong result will be taken by his supporters as a vindication of his approach, while heavy losses could provoke open rebellion in the Commons.
The elections will also serve as a barometer of public confidence in David Cameron's government. It has been a year since the Conservative Prime Minister returned to power with an outright (though slim) majority, allowing him to discard his coalition partners; today will give us a indication as to what Britain thinks of the Tory's performance flying solo thus far.
Right now, it's not looking great for Corbyn. Polling in late April suggested that Labour could be in line for the "worst council defeat in opposition in 34 years," according the The Telegraph, with the party standing to lose as many as 220 council seats if it polls 4 points behind the Conservatives.
We're about to discover the electoral cost of Labour's anti-Semitism row
Over the last week or so, Labour has been caught in a ugly firestorm over allegations of anti-Semitism within the party.
Two senior Labour party members — MP Naz Shah and former London mayor Ken Livingstone — have been suspended over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks, and on Monday, the Telegraph reported that the party has secretly suspended more than 50 party members over "anti-Semitic and racist comments."
Labour is battling to keep the crisis under control, launching an independent inquiry into the issue. But the Conservatives have hammered Labour on the issue, with David Cameron bringing it up on the eve of the elections during Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.
We will soon discover whether the row has harmed Labour in the polls.
Labour is tipped to win in London
The London mayoral election is a two-horse race between Labour's Sadiq Khan and Ken Livingstone. Though Tory Boris Johnson has served as mayor since 2008, London as a whole is traditionally Labour heartland, and Khan is odds-on favourite to win.
Dan Kitwood / Getty StaffThe race is complicated by the fact that one of the Labour figures suspended in the anti-Semitism row is Ken Livingstone, the former London mayor, who made (and repeatedly defended) bizarre remarks claiming that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. Khan was swift to condemn Livingstone, but it remains to be seen whether the issue has affected his chances.
With that said, the Conservative campaign in London hasn't been free of accusations of racism either. Rhetoric in the election has been remarkably ugly, with Goldsmith attacking Khan — a Muslim — as a "radical" and attacking his judgment for sharing a platform with alleged Islamic extremists.
Khan's camp has countered that Goldsmith's tactics amount to "dog-whistle racism," intended to play on voters' prejudices.
The Tories could move into second place in Scotland
The nationalist SNP currently has a resounding majority in the Scottish Parliament — 69 seats to second-place Labour's 37. The SNP will be seeking to maintain this majority, while the Conservatives — who currently hold 15 seats in Holyrood — are angling to slip past Labour into second place in Scotland.
There's a question mark over the future of the police and crime commissioner elections
The most interesting result to come out of the police and crime commissioner elections, held in England and Wales, won't be the winners — it'll be the turnout.
Introduced in 2012, turnout in these elections has typically been abysmal, and many are calling for them to ditched altogether.
Stay tuned for more...
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are battling in their first major elections since leaving government, and the Welsh and Irish assemblies are up for grabs.
We'll be covering all the day's events live, reporting on the ground and linking out to other coverage we're appreciating, so check back in regularly for the latest developments and the exit polls and results after the polls close.
This is a liveblog of the day's events and will be updated frequently. Refresh the page for the latest news, or click here.
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