LONDON: Millions of Britons vote Thursday (May 7) in local elections set to heap more pressure on beleaguered Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer and showcase the rise of hard-right and left-wing populists.

Voters across Scotland, England and Wales head to the ballot box in Starmer's biggest electoral test since his July 2024 general election landslide victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule.

Opinion polls predict grim results for Labour, which could amplify calls for Starmer, 63, to resign or finally face a long-rumoured party leadership challenge.

Nigel Farage's anti-immigrant Reform UK and the left-wing Greens, led by self-described eco-populist Zack Polanski, are expected to be the main beneficiaries of widespread disillusionment.

"It's a huge barometer for how the country is feeling about this political establishment," said Melanie Garson, associate professor of politics at University College London.

"We've got, for the first time, significant pressure on the main political parties across every single council."

Polls open at 7am local time and close at 10pm. Some results are expected overnight, but most will not come until later on Friday.

Around 5,000 local council seats, out of 16,000, are up for grabs across England, while in Wales and Scotland, voters will elect new devolved parliaments.

Starmer swept to power two years ago following 14 years of largely chaotic Conservative rule defined by austerity, Brexit and the tanking of the economy under former prime minister Liz Truss.

But critics say he has swerved from one policy misstep to another, and he has been embroiled in a scandal over sacked US envoy Peter Mandelson, a former friend of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer has also failed to fulfil his main promise of spurring economic growth, with impatient Britons still suffering a cost-of-living crisis, including from high energy prices.

"The change hasn't been delivered, or change that has been delivered has been negative," Garson told AFP.

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE?

Starmer said on Wednesday there was a "clear choice" at the ballot box.

"Unity or division. Progress versus the politics of anger."

Labour has also fought back, unearthing racist remarks by some Reform candidates and antisemitic comments by certain Green hopefuls.

But Starmer is now one of the most unpopular prime ministers ever, and surveys suggest Labour will lose contro...