We’re wrapping up this blog now. Here is a reminder of the key recent developments in the UK’s local elections: The SNP won 64 seats in Holyrood – just short of an outright majority by 1. This is a historic result for the party and – together with the Scottish Greens’ 8 seats – voters have elected a majority of pro-independence candidates. Former SNP leader Alex Salmond’s Alba party failed to win a seat. Boris Johnson invited SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon for crisis talks on the Union after the First Minister warned he would be standing in the way of democracy if he denies Scotland a second independence referendum, PA Media reports. As well as the shock defeat in Hartlepool, Labour a net loss of six councils and more than 200 seats in the local elections, ceding Harrow in Essex to the Tories and losing overall control in Durham in the process. Welsh Labour won 30 of the Senedd’s 60 seats, matching the party’s best-ever result. This puts Labour, who gained 1 vote since the last election, just 1 vote away from a majority in Wales’ parliament. Keir Starmer has reportedly hired pollster Deborah Mattinson as Labour’s new director of strategy, an announcement the party made only hours after deputy leader Angela Rayner was sacked as chairman. Starmer sacked Angela Rayner from her roles as party chair and national campaign coordinator – a move that has triggered widespread anger among Labour MPs. London reelected Sadiq Khan as mayor, with the Labour incumbent gaining 55.2% of the total vote. Conservative Shaun Bailey came second with 44.8% – a better result than expected. Labour candidate Marvin Rees was re-elected as Mayor of Bristol, 50,510 votes, or 36.33%. Labour candidate Nik Johnson (51.3%) gained the mayoralty of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, winning the seat from Conservative incumbent James Palmer. There was another gain for Labour in the West of England, which declared Dan Norris mayor with 59.5% of the total vote, while Tory candidate Samuel Williams got 40.5%. In other mayoral races, Labour held Doncaster, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Liverpool city region, North Tyneside and Salford. The Conservatives held Tees Valley and West Midlands. The result of the mayoral race in West Yorkshire has not been declared yet.