Economics, Trade and Finance: Big Thursday ends: Polling stations close in the UK

With reports and opinion polls related to the campaign banned in the UK while polling stations open, the issue was almost irrelevant in the media on Thursday. Instead, several people have tweeted pictures of their dogs accompanying them at the polls.

The first results are expected Friday morning from the by-elections for a seat in the House of Commons in the northeastern English city of Hartlepool. The result is an important measure of sentiment for Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer. The north of England is traditionally considered a stronghold of the Social Democrats – but at the same time there was very much support for Brexit. In the last general election, Johnson’s Conservatives stole many seats from the Labor Party. If Hartlepool falls into the hands of the Conservative Party for the first time in decades, it would be a bitter defeat for Starmer, who has set himself the goal of reversing the trend.

Britons will have to wait until Saturday for the eagerly awaited results of the parliamentary elections in Scotland. The ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) is hoping to gain an absolute majority there in order to affirm its demand for a second independence referendum. Central government approval in London is necessary to hold a referendum. Prime Minister Johnson has so far rejected this.