Polls to open on triple by-election day

Politics

Polls will open today at 7am for three by-elections across the country, as voters decide who they want to represent them in parliament.

The seats of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, will all be up for grabs, with polls closing at 10pm tonight.

The results are expected in the early hours of Friday morning, and Sky News will bring you the news, analysis and reaction on a special programme from midnight, as well as online in the Politics Hub.

The three seats were left empty by outgoing Conservative MPs – former prime minister Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams – and former Tory David Warburton, last month.

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What is a by-election?

Mr Johnson had a majority of 7,210 when Uxbridge and South Ruislip was last contested at the general election in 2019, with Labour coming in second place.

Selby and Ainsty saw Mr Adams elected in the same year with a majority of over 20,000, again with Labour as the runner-up.

And Mr Warbuton’s seat of Somerton and Frome saw him get a 19,213 majority in 2019, though it was the Liberal Democrats who came the closest to him.

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Watch a special programme on the by-election results from midnight on Sky News

The governing party will be seeking to hold onto the constituencies, while opposition parties will be hoping to swing the votes in their favour.

Here are the full lists of candidates seeking to replace them:

Anyone who is over 18 and registered to vote in the constituencies can cast a ballot and while polling ends at 10pm, you will still be entitled to have your say if you are in the queue before then.