LIVE BLOG: local election reaction and AV result

Election reaction and AV vote – add your voice

20.00 The No vote wins the AV referendum.

18.00: The AV vote looks likely to result in a big win for the No vote. Results coming in from around the UK show, on average, two-thirds of voters said no. Political analyst Greg Callus tells Channel 4 News a loss for those backing electoral reform could see the issue off the table for at least a decade. Read more: AV referendum heads towards ‘no’ vote

17:45: Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond speaks to supporters in Kirkcaldy – where the winning 65th seat was confirmed for the SNP in the Scottish Parliament, handing the part an historic majority.

Mr Salmond said: “We have a majority of the seats, but no monopoly on wisdom and we’ll welcome support across parliament as we seek to pursue these people for the benefit of our people and to ensure jobs in our economy.

I believe the Scottish National Party won this election because Scotland wants to travel in hope and to aim high. Alex Salmond

“I believe the Scottish National Party won this election because Scotland wants to travel in hope and to aim high. Scotland has chosen to believe in itself and a shared capacity to build a fair society. The nation wants to be better. We will govern fairly and wisely.

“Team Scotland has won this election.”

17.40: AV LATEST: Indications across the UK show a major defeat is on the cards for the Yes to AV campaign.

17.00: Leading figures are gathered at the ExCeL conference centre in London’s Docklands which has been turned into an AV referendum nerve centre co-ordinating the UK-wide vote. Follow Channel 4 News Economics Editor @faisalislam who is there.

16.45: AV LATEST: The first results in AV referendum are a No vote in the Scilly Islands – 288 votes for yes – 34.7 per cent, 542 no votes, 65.3 per cent. Read more: Polls predict No to AV campaign victory

Local election north/south divide
Lewis Baston, a psephologist, takes a closer look at councils in the north and south to see the differing outcomes. 
He aggregated some northern English urban councils (Manchester, Leeds, Stockport, Sheffield and Liverpool) and some councils in the south-east (Medway, Harlow, Basildon, Reading, Dartford) and below are the different movements in share of the vote you get. Bear in mind there will be more authorititative figures to come.
Nothern cities: CON -1% LAB +17% LIB DEM -13%
South east councils: CON +2% LAB +7% LIB DEM -5%
Read more election analysis in Gary Gibbon's blog. You can follow @lewis_baston on Twitter.

16.00: AV LATEST: Counting begins across the UK in the AV referendum. Initial figures show turnout across the UK ranged from 35.4 per cent to 50.7 per cent.

BLOG: Krishnan Guru-Murthy on a 'stunning result for Scotland'

15.30: Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray is to step down in autumn following his party’s defeat to the SNP in the Holyrood elections, Labour announces.

14.30: The SNP secures a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament election. Read more: SNP wins majority in Scottish elections

13.45: Labour is victorious in the Welsh Assembly election – but narrowly misses out on securing an overall majority. Carwyn Jones’ party comprehensively beat their rivals, winning 30 of the Senedd’s 60 seats. But it was unable to get to the “magic figure” of 31, which would result in Labour being able to form a majority government.

13:22: Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray has conceded that the Scottish National Party has won the battle for Holyrood after Alex Salmond’s party made massive gains across the country.

Comment via Facebook: Sarah Blackley I didn't vote SNP, I voted labour and green. But should a referendum on independence actually come about, I would probably support independence.

11.45: David Cameron says the Conservative Party has “done well” in elections despite taking “difficult decisions in the national interest”. He added: “The Conservative vote share has held up and I think the Conservative councils and councillors have done a good job up and down the country providing quality services but keeping their costs and tax bills under control. I also think we fought a strong campaign explaining why we took difficult decisions to sort out the mess we inherited from Labour.”

The Electoral Commission: first provisional turnout figures

11.40: AV LATEST: YouGov online exit poll and it suggests that the No camp will end up leading 62 to the Yes camp’s 38 per cent.

11.32: Ed Miliband says he is “pleased” with the results in England and Wales but “disappointed” with the outcome in Scotland. He said: “North, south, east and west, Labour is making gains and coming back. I say this to David Cameron and Nick Clegg this morning: you must listen to the people.”

11.30: Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon: Disunited Kingdom. Disunited Coalition. What a fascinating set of results…. and Labour in Scotland has been walloped.” Read more: SNP smiles while Coalition cools

Comment From StubCrouch: Really, Party politics has no place in local politics. They all should be working for the people & communities they represent. 

11.20: Professor John Curtice from the University of Strathclyde tells Channel 4 News Labour has suffered a “devastating defeat” in Scottish Parliament elections. Professor Curtice says it will be interesting to see how Westminster reacts to Scottish result. Cameron has the power to call a referendum on independence sooner rather than later. SNP would likely have one towards the end of their second term in power but PM could call one sooner if he thinks it is more likely to be defeated.

More from Channel 4 News: Alex Salmond's SNP makes big gains in Scottish elections

11.15: Professor John Curtice says SNP faces a paradox – the more effective government it provides in Holyrood the happier people in Scotland are with the union.

11.10: Jack Dromey tells the BBC this is Labour’s “best result for a decade”. Despite losses in Scotland, Ed Miliband‘s party regained council seats across England and in the Welsh Assembly.

(Pictured: Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond. The SNP is on course for an overall majority at Holyrood)

Latest from Labour battle with Plaid Cymru: Labour hoping to win control

11.00: David Cameron leaves Downing Street. He is expected to travel to the Midlands later following a good night for the Conservatives in local elections. The share of the vote for the Tories has remained largely unchanged, despite the wave of UK-wide spending cuts.

We need to get up, dust ourselves down and move on. Nick Clegg

09.00: Lib Dem analysts predict they are on course for their worst showing since the 1980s, after suffering a string of heavy losses in elections for English local councils, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.

@DMiliband tweets: One year since the election. Tragedy it takes a Tory govt to remind people why it is worth having a Labour govt.

More from Channel 4 News: Nick Clegg: ‘A very, very bad night for us’

08.00: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg concedes that his party has taken some “big knocks” in the local elections but added: “We need to get up, dust ourselves down and move on.”

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