Lib Dems punished at polls
The Liberal Democrats have suffered heavy losses in English council elections in a bad night for Nick Clegg.
Voters appear to have deserted the party in large numbers over its decision to enter coalition with the Conservatives and it has lost control of Hull, Stockport and Bristol.
The Lib Dems have also lost 10 seats in Manchester and 11 in Liverpool including Lord Mike Storey, a former leader of the Lib Dem group in the city, who has lost his seat to 18-year-old Labour candidate.
The party has also been overtaken by Labour as the largest party in Sheffield.
In Scotland the SNP has won 24 seats at present from other parties while Labour have made record gains in Wales.
Speaking on the BBC last night Simon Hughes said Clegg's unpopularity in Sheffield would have contributed to the Lib Dems losing the council.
"Any anti-Nick view will be exemplified most in Sheffield," he said. "Nick has become the issue in Sheffield."
The comments were particularly damning as party leaders are usually an asset in local contests rather than a hindrance.
Hughes, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said his party would lose in the north of England if they were perceived to be like the Conservatives. He said voters in the region wanted the party to be a "radical, bluntly left of centre" alternative to the Tories.
Lib Dem president Tim Farron admitted it had been a "very unpleasant night" for the party and said local councillors were “being dealt a blow because of the national situation".
And the Lib Dem Scottish secretary Michael Moore said the party knew all along entering into coalition with the Conservatives would be a "tough gig".
But despite the losses, Lord Rennard, the former chief executive of the Lib Dems, said the party was doing well in the south of England. "We're holding and winning on the south coast," he said.
The results for southern cities such as Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Eastleigh are expected later today.
The DUP and Sinn Fein are expected to remain the largest parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where counting begins Friday morning.
The results come just hours before the outcome of the referendum on the alternative vote (AV) referendum, with the result not expected until Friday evening.
Polls have suggested AV will be rejected by a sizeable margin.
How today will unfold
* 07:30 Counting starts in the Leicester South UK by-election
* 08:00 Counting begins in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
* 09:00 Counting begins for those Scottish and Welsh seats that did not count overnight.
* 11:30 Results begin to come in from the approximately 160 English councils that did not count overnight - including Brighton, Leeds and Blackpool.
* 07:30 Counting starts in the Leicester South UK by-election
* 08:00 Counting begins in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
* 09:00 Counting begins for those Scottish and Welsh seats that did not count overnight.
* 11:30 Results begin to come in from the approximately 160 English councils that did not count overnight - including Brighton, Leeds and Blackpool.
* 13:00 The turnout figures for the alternative vote referendum are announced.
* 14:00 Some early results for the Northern Ireland Assembly constituencies are expected by now.
* 15:30 All counts should be completed for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.
* 16:00 Counting begins around the country for the AV referendum.
* 17:30 First results expected for the AV referendum.
* 19:00 As the results come, a fuller picture is expected to have emerged of the referendum outcome.
* 20:00 The result of the Leicester South UK parliamentary is expected by now. However, it could be much earlier.
* 20:00 It is expected the official result of the AV referendum will be declared.
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