Latest news as councils around England start declaring who won council votes

The first results are coming in from the local elections across England, as the Conservatives prepare for a “tough night” and voter ID is put to the test.

Campaigners earlier reported “countless examples” of would-be voters being turned away from polling stations, describing it as a “dark day for democracy”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded it would be a “hard night” for the Tories but insisted they were moving away from “box set drama” politics after the scandal-prone tenure of Boris Johnson and the chaotic collapse of the Liz Truss administration.