Super Thursday as it happened: London, Scotland and England among polls to open in UK-wide elections

Voting closes across the UK

Polls have closed and now it's just the small matter of counting votes to determine the outcomes from several elections. We're wrapping up this blog but you can stay up to date with the latest by clicking this link to follow the election results as they come in live.

Homeland star takes a swipe at Boris Johnson

Actor and Londoner Damian Lewis has taken a swing at London Mayor Boris Johnson's housing legacy. Lewis criticised the way in which the "ultra-rich" have "taken up residency in London, the way that's been facilitated by our leaders and our politicians".

Speaking at the UK showing of Our Kind Of Traitor, Lewis said: "I think London has changed and the heart of London is now inhabited by people with second, third, fourth homes, these super-rich, that class of people most of us don't know or come across."

He added: "I'm a proud Londoner and it would be a shame if the centre of London became given over entirely to people's third homes, so hopefully it won't."

Polls close soon but you can still vote

Polls close at 10pm BST but you can still have your say if you are in the queue then.

Polls shut in less than an hour

With less than one hour to go before voting closes, time is fast running out and political leaders are wasting no time in urging people to go out and have their say. As part of his final push, Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn even reminded voters that there's no need for a polling card "or anything else."

No extension for Barnet voters

Despite voters being turned away without having their say earlier in the day in Barnet, no extension has been granted for polling stations to stay open beyond 10pm. But if voters are in line at 10pm, they can still vote, according to Barnet Council. Residents are being advised to bring their polling cards.

#VoteConservative is trending. That can only be a good thing, right?

With more than 46,000 tweets sent out with the aforementioned hashtag, Tory attempts to garner support appears to have backfired. Most of the tweets sent out unashamedly bash the Conservatives, capturing the political mood among some voters.

Khan and Goldsmith drum up support

With less than three hours to go before polls close, London mayoral hopefuls Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith are out canvassing for support. Voters do not need their polling cards to have their say, they just need to give their name and address at the polling station.

The brawl for City Hall is under way

With the race for City Hall well and truly under way, how do Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan compare? Watch the video below for a reminder on how the two political heavyweights shape up in the brawl for City Hall.

Andrew Travers, Barnet and Camden constituency returning officer, has issued a statement on the voting fiasco:

"We experienced problems with our electoral registration lists earlier today, which meant that a number of people were unable to vote at polling stations in Barnet first thing this morning.

"We did everything we could to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and updated lists were sent to every polling station by 10.30am, at which point all residents were able to vote as normal.

"Information about how people could apply for an emergency proxy vote before the 5pm deadline was made available for those unable to return to polling stations to vote in person.

"Taking part in the democratic process is a fundamental right for our residents and the main focus this morning was to resolve the situation as soon as possible. We will fully investigate the cause of the problems that have arisen. I would like to apologise to everyone who experienced problems with voting in Barnet today."

A grim outlook for Labour if private polling is anything to go by

There are ominous signs for Labour despite Jeremy Corbyn's predictions the party would not lose seats in the local elections. If the tweet from the New Statesman's political editor George Eaton translates into reality, it would represent a significant blow to the party.

Labour MP Liz Kendall previously said that the party must gain 400 seats if it is to defeat the Conservatives at the next general election in 2020.

Weather a factor on polling day?

Good weather was expected to have a positive effect on voter turnout, but the opposite could be true. It's worth bearing in mind that the above figure does not take those voting after work into account and over four hours remain before voting closes.

Since we're talking about whether there will be an uptick in voter turnout, here's a few snaps of the weather.

Barnet blunder simply a mistake?

The voting troubles in Barnet caused much anger among voters fed up at the borough's history of disasters on polling days. Speaking to The Telegraph, Labour London Assembly candidate, Andrew Dismore said: "The privatisation and cuts have made bureaucracy a fisasco at Barnet, every election the council cocks up.

He continued: "I lost the election last year because of Barnet council, there were hundreds of Labour voters who weren't allowed to vote, theres nothing new about this."

Not wishing to mince his words, Dismore added: "I'm fed up of this, every election Barnet screws it up, a council like Camden should come in and run their elections for them if they can't do it themselves."

Drudge Report is coming under heavy criticism from Twitter users after publishing a racially charged image of mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan. The headline reads: "First Muslim Mayor of Londonistan" – a reference to false claims that the capital city is a majority Muslim city.

Back to where it all began. London mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan takes a trip down memory lane – Labour colleague Tom Watson took no time engaging in a bit of gentle ribbing.

It's an historic day for Scotland after 16 and 17-year-olds were granted the right to vote in all Scottish parliamentary and council elections. They are exercising their right to do so for the first time today.

What impact could the Barnet voting blunder have?

Voting in the London borough of Barnet got off to a shaky start as people's names were missing from polling lists. The council confirmed that the situation has since been rectified, but it is unclear how many people were denied a chance to vote after 155 polling stations were issued with partial electoral registers.

The voting failure could represent a significant blow for the Tories and mayoral hopeful Zac Goldsmith, given that the party has previously enjoyed strong support among Barnet's 236,000 registered voters. In 2012, London Mayor Boris Johnson won about 82,000 votes in contrast to Ken Livingstone's 58,000.

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: "Anyone who attended a polling station in Barnet this morning, and was turned away and therefore could not vote, and was unable to return due to work reasons, may be able to use an emergency proxy vote.

"They will need to complete an application form on our website (www.barnet.gov.uk) and return it by 5pm today. People can find out more about how to vote by emergency proxy by clicking here.

Remember him?

In north London, Boris Johnson and wife Marina has cast his vote in the elections. The outgoing Mayor of London has been campaigning for Zac Goldsmith this week as the Conservative candidate looks to gain ground on frontrunner Sadiq Khan.

As Johnson leaves City Hall, IBTimes UK looks back at his eight-year reign:

Forget Barnet, the real scandal today happened in Stalybridge, where Labour councillor Jan Jackson might have lost a couple of votes after blocking cars in at a polling station there. Jackson, who was accompanied by a woman with crutches, parked her red Seat in front of other cars at Bright Futures nursery to cries of "We've got to go to work, we dropped our children off," from one woman.

Re-live the moment key political figures cast their votes at today's elections.

In news totally unrelated to the elections, George Osborne has tweeted that he will appear on Robert Peston's new show, Peston on Sunday, this week. The chancellor also revealed the shocking news the ITV broadcaster may have had a haircut...

On a lighter note, #DogsAtPollingStations is trending on Twitter. Here's one of our favourites.

The media has been sent another update from Barnet Council on voting issues this morning.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Anyone who attended a polling station in Barnet this morning, and was turned away and therefore could not vote, and was unable to return due to work reasons, may be able to use an emergency proxy vote.

"They will need to complete an application form on our website (www.barnet.gov.uk) and return it by 5pm today. People can find out more about how to vote by emergency proxy athttps://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/council-and-democracy/democracy-and-elections/elections-in-barnet.html."

Here's a bit more information on that final YouGov/Evening Standard poll for the Mayor of London election.

Anthony Wells, director of political and social research for YouGov, told IBTimes UK that he did not expect voter turnout to make a dramatic difference to the result.

"Turnout might make a difference at the margins, it might change by two or three points, but it's not going to change by 14 points."

Wells also revealed that his research suggested Londoners were sticking with party allegiances at the ballot box. He added: "It's not really an issues election. If you look at the previous two mayoral elections, people have voted outside of their normal party alignments. The reason why Boris won is because he appealed to lots of Labour and Liberal Democrat voters.

"If you look at the figures here, people who normally vote Labour are voting for Sadiq, and people who normally vote Conservative are voting for Zac. This election is just people voting with their normal party allegiances. It's a Labour city that is voting for a Labour mayor."

Popstar and activist Charlotte Church has caused a stir by apparently switching allegiances from Labour to Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. The singer voted for the party - led by - even though she sang at a "JC4PM" concert in Edinburgh in March. However, Church tackled the criticism on Twitter:

IBTimes UK looks back at some of departing Mayor of London Boris Johnson's most memorable moments.

Sadiq Khan leads Zac Goldsmith in both first and second preference votes, the Evening Standard has found. In one of the final polls before a new mayor is announced, the Tooting MP and former human rights lawyer has an 11-point lead over his Tory rival in first preference votes and a huge 14-point advantage in second round votes.

First preference: Khan 43%/Goldsmith 32%
Second preference: Khan 57%/Goldsmith 43%

But wait just a minute. Hoping to crash the party is Ukip's Peter Whittle, who has posed beside a tank to... we don't really know why:

Barnet update

"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 we have experienced." Barnet council spokesman

A rosette-wearing Jeremy Corbyn has cast his vote in Islington. The Labour leader will be hoping the party can put the controversy over alleged anti-Semitism in recent weeks that led to the suspension of Ken Livingstone and Bradford West MP Naz Shah behind it.

Corbyn will be buoyed by Labour fielding more council candidates than any other party at the elections. The party has 2,632 names on ballot papers, but Labour election co-ordinator Jon Trickett said all hands must be at the pump.

"Labour's ever-increasing membership is one of its greatest assets, standing as it is now at nearly double it was before the General Election. And we need as many of our members to go out on the doorstep, deliver leaflets, speak to their friends and family and support their local candidates in whichever way they are able.

"Our candidates represent the millions of people who have been let down by the Tories. Labour is standing up, not standing by. We need all hands to the pumps to win as many seats on 5th May."

Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson has been showing her lighter side in a series of tweets showcasing what she has learnt about Scotland while on the campaign trail. Photos includes ones of her riding a buffalo, making sausages and taking time out in a jacuzzi.

Caroline Pidgeon is no stranger to London's politics yet the Liberal Democrat finds herself in fifth place in polls predicting who will become the next Mayor of London. Watch Pidgeon outline her policies for the capital.

Whoever becomes Mayor of London will have sort out the capital's housing supply problem and one way would be to "throw landlords a life line".

According to estate agents Your Move, "Landlords will be vital allies."

"London is the capital of renting. And in part that's a good thing – tenants flock to where the jobs are. But it means that housing in London follows an entirely different set of rules from the rest of the country.

"This has to be recognised. Our capital is suffering from a serious undersupply of homes to let – which is down to an enormous undersupply of landlords taking up investment opportunities. Average rents in London have risen 19% since the last mayoral elections in May 2012, and by 35% overall since Boris Johnson was first elected Mayor in 2008. In stark contrast, rents across England and Wales as a whole have risen 19% since May 2008. If London sets the trend for the nation, this acceleration should be a wake-up call.

"To prevent a whirlpool of talent draining out of the capital, the new Major needs to throw landlords a life line. To build a sustainable supply of homes to let for the next four years, the Mayor must avoid populist anti-landlord policies that yield easy support in the short term but prevent people finding a place to rent further down the line. Instead, stimulating more – not less – investment from landlords is the way to keep rents more affordable." Adrian Gill, director of Your Move lettings agents

Read the full story on the "shambles" occurring in Barnet, where voters in the north London borough have been turned away and told to come back later.

More from Barnet...

The council has said voters were turned away this morning because it had old registers at booths.

"We are working to resolve this issue and the updated registers have been sent to all the polling stations, which we expect to be in place by 10am. In the meantime, people who have their polling cards with them are able to vote.
"We are advising residents to bring their polling cards. If people were unable to vote this morning they are being advised to return if possible later before the stations close at 10pm. We apologise for the problems."

Voters have been told to take their polling cards with them when they cast their vote.

The Greens caused a stir when the left-wing party announced it would not back Labour's Sadiq Khan or Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith as their second preference for the Mayor of London election. But Green grandee Jenny Jones has revealed that she has given her second preference to Khan, he first vote going to Sian Berry.

North of the border, the SNP is expected to make gains in the fifth election for the Scottish parliament. Last time around in 2011 the SNP claimed 69 out of 129 seats with Labour second (37 seats) and the Conservatives third (15).

While Nicola Sturgeon's party will certainly romp to a majority in Holyrood, all eyes will be on second place where the Tories, led by Ruth Davidson, could topple Labour, whose leader Kezia Dugdale has said the party's fortunes in Scotland could be dealt a blow by the anti-Semitism controversy that engulfed the wider party.

Voters in Barnet have been turned away from polling booths in north London with some being told to return later to cast their votes in the mayoralty and GLA elections. Incorrect voting lists appear to be the problem

"Please can voters unable to vote this morning return to their polling station later if possible," Barnet council Tweeted. "We apologise for these problems. We are aware of problems with voting registers at our polling stations. This being resolved. Please take voting cards with you."

By-elections take place today in Ogmore and Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

Senior politics reporter Ian Silvera spoke to the two main candidates - Ukip's Steve Winstone and Labour's Gill Furniss - in the Yorkshire seat where steel and the EU were the main concerns.

"We ought to have a system whereby everybody can play by the same rules, rather than it just be that if are from France, Bulgaria or Poland you can just come in ahead of queue against anybody else." Steve Winstone, Ukip

"People are worried about immigration and I think they are worried about things not being fair to a certain extent. We don't want people coming over here and being exploited and we are working very hard to make sure it is a level-playing field." Gill Furniss, Labour

While we're on the subject of the next Mayor of London, political commentator Martin Hoscik wrote for IBTimes UK that all was not lost for Goldsmith:

If the polls are even a couple of percent out, and of course they can be out in either direction, then the actual gap Goldsmith needs to bridge could be even narrower.

When Goldsmith tells gatherings of party activists that "this election will come down to the wire" and that every leaflet they deliver could mean the difference between victory and defeat, he's not just going through the motions - his campaign really does believe that they're in with a chance of victory.

It's been an early start for both the Labour candidate - mayoralty favourite - Sadiq Khan and the Conservative hopeful Zac Goldsmith. Both have cast their votes before a long day of last minute canvassing: