May 2016 elections: The Spectator guide

Britain goes to the polls this week, as electoral contests take place in London, Scotland, Wales and across England. They’re the elections which James Forsyth described in the Spectator last week as the ones ‘no one has even heard of’. So what will happen on Thursday night and when will the results be announced? Here’s The Spectator’s run-through of the May 2016 elections:

London Mayoral election:

Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan go head-to-head in the London Mayoral contest. In 2012, Boris and Ken ran a close-fought race, with Boris getting 971,000 first-round votes to Ken’s 889,918. The relatively small margin between the two meant the result didn’t filter through until early evening. But this time, with the pollsters suggesting Sadiq is the clear favourite, we should know who is the new London Mayor much earlier in the day. Counts across the capital will be starting at 8am on Friday, and we should have a clear idea of who has come out on top by the middle of the afternoon.