This Vote Could Completely Transform British Politics

Keir Starmer isn't on the ballot this week, but his party's troubles very much are. Voters in Scotland, Wales, and parts of England head to the polls Thursday in elections widely seen as a verdict on Labour's rule—and on Britain's old two-party model itself. Pollsters say anger at both Labour and the Conservatives is so widespread that Labour could lose the bulk of its roughly 2,200 English council seats and slip to a distant also-ran in local races alongside the Tories, per the New York Times. In other words, Starmer could be in for "an electoral disaster."

On the right, Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK could emerge as "the big winner," per the AP. The party is expecting a breakthrough from English councils to the Welsh Parliament, where Labour may lose control for the first time. On the left, the Greens are also likely to make gains, courting disillusioned Labour supporters upset over economic centrism, immigration policy, and Gaza. In Scotland, Labour's long slide has bolstered the pro-independence Scottish National Party and opened space for Greens there too. Analysts say the vote could mark the sharpest reshaping of British politics in a generation—and, if results are especially bad for Labour, potentially ignite a leadership fight. Polls close at 10pm local time (5pm EST).