UK elections: Key test for Boris amid partygate furore and Northern Ireland power-sharing at stake
Polls have opened in the UK for Thursday's local elections which are seen as a major test for Boris Johnson, under pressure over a cost-of-living crisis and damaged by the "partygate" scandal.
The prime minister has been fighting for his political survival for months as evidence mounted that he broke his own COVID-19 lockdown rules. He's already received one police fine, with the possibility of more following.
Meanwhile, a sharp rise in global energy prices is being felt in the shops, having already pushed up utility bills. Johnson's government has been criticised over its response to the crisis.
In Northern Ireland, the elections will also test the stability of fragile power-sharing arrangements, with polls suggesting the Irish nationalists Sinn Fein could emerge as the largest party.
The results in the UK territory could also impact British policy toward post-Brexit trading rules. The Johnson government's hostility towards the arrangements set out in the Brexit divorce treaty has aggravated tensions with the European Union.
The council elections do not cover the whole of the UK, with many areas having voted in previous years. More than 4,400 English councils are up for grabs, including all London boroughs. All local authorities in Wales and Scotland are also holding elections.
Although the British government's majority in parliament is not affected, poor results for the ruling Conservatives would put Johnson under further pressure.
The prime minister's critics might be emboldened as they wonder whether he is the right leader going into the next general election that must be held by late 2024.
The main opposition Labour Party has been focusing its criticism on the government's response to the cost-of-living crisis.
An analysis
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