Conservatives expect heavy losses that could destabilise Rishi Sunak’s premiership

• Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting photo ID
• Local and mayoral elections: results to look out for and when

Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, has described the Blackpool South byelection as “historic” and has singled it out as the most important “election of the night”.

McFadden, who is the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, said:

The most important election of the night is the historic byelection in Blackpool, caused by yet more Tory chaos and scandal.

It’s the only election today where voters have had the opportunity to directly reject Rishi Sunak’s party in Westminster.

Our initial assessment of the elections is that they were well-run, and millions of voters were able to exercise their democratic rights.

This is a testament to the efforts of electoral administrators, who work tirelessly to ensure the smooth delivery and integrity of polls.

Conservatives predicted to lose 500 council seats in England – about half the number they are defending

• Local elections 2024: full council results for England

Voting has closed in local elections, a moment of potential peril for Rishi Sunak, with the Conservatives braced for heavy losses that could destabilise his premiership.

The elections, in more than 2,600 seats across 107 English councils, are seen as a key test of whether the Conservative party is as unpopular with voters as the polls suggest.

Former PM made the requirement to bring photo ID a stipulation of the Elections Act in 2022

Boris Johnson was turned away from his local polling station when trying to cast his vote in Thursday’s elections after forgetting to bring the required photo identity.

The former prime minister was initially told by polling station staff he would not be allowed to vote in the police and crime commissioner election in South Oxfordshire without proving his identity.

Results across 107 councils and in 10 mayoral votes will start coming in from the early hours of Friday

• UK politics – latest updates

Voters across England have the opportunity to give their verdict on Rishi Sunak’s government on Thursday in the last set of local elections before the general election.

Many of the seats up for grabs were last contested in May 2021, when the Conservatives under Boris Johnson were enjoying a Covid “vaccine bounce”. Fast-forward three years and the Tories are trailing 20 points behind Labour in national polls.

Exclusive: decision to grant licences condemned by critics as a stunt that shows Tories are ‘playing politics with climate’

Fossil fuel companies will be allowed to explore for oil and gas under offshore wind-power sites for the first time, the government will announce on Friday, in a move which campaigners say is further proof that ministers are abandoning the climate agenda.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates North Sea oil and gas production, will confirm that it is granting licences to about 30 companies to look for hydrocarbons on sites earmarked for future offshore windfarms.

Boy band cites ‘technical issues’ at new Manchester site, where Olivia Rodrigo, Keane and Peter Kay had also been due to perform

Take That have announced they will not be performing at the new Co-op Live Arena due to “ongoing technical issues” with the venue in Manchester.

The boyband had been due to perform from Tuesday but will instead switch their shows to the rival AO Arena.

Federal investigation to come as university called New York police to quell protest on campus

• More than 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested across US campuses
• US students: share your experience of the campus protests

NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Kaz Daughtry, has confirmed that Fordham University was among a number of educational institutions which requested police assistance on campus to disperse protests.

He said that individuals who refused to disperse has been arrested without incident.

Your @NYPDnews officers continue to protect the right to peacefully protest, but lawlessness will not be tolerated. I commend the professionalism consistently displayed by our officers.

In light of the activities that are currently happening, we further request that you retain a presence on campus through at least May 22, 2024 (when commencement and diploma ceremonies are completed) to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”

Israeli foreign minister strongly criticises decision by President Erdoğan, accusing him of acting like a ‘dictator’

Turkey has halted all trade with Israel, citing the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories, which prompted strong criticism from the Israeli foreign minister.

“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said late on Thursday.

Move comes after west African country’s military government had told US to withdraw its troops

Russian military personnel have entered an airbase in Niger that is hosting American troops, after a decision by Niger’s junta to expel US forces from the country.

The military officers ruling the west African country have told the US to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington’s fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.

The foreign secretary called the conflict ‘the challenge of our generation’ after making second trip to Kyiv to meet Zelenskiy

The UK has promised £3bn a year “for as long as it is necessary” to help Ukraine, David Cameron said on Thursday as he made his second visit to Kyiv since becoming UK foreign secretary.

He also said he had no objection if weapons supplied by the UK were used to strike inside Russia.