Polling starts in Hackney mayoral election and will continue until 10pm

Polling stations opened at 7am today

Hackney goes to the polls today to choose the borough’s next directly elected Mayor.

Polling stations opened at 7am and will stay open until 10pm tonight.

The result is expected to be known by tomorrow (Friday) evening.

There are five candidates:

Philip Glanville (Labour party)

Amy Gray (Conservative party)

Samir Jeraj (Green party)

Dawa Ma (One Love party)

Dave Raval (Liberal Democrats)

The election is the biggest – in terms of numbers eligible to vote – in the UK since the referendum on membership of the European Union.

It was triggered after Jules Pipe, Hackney’s first directly elected mayor who held the post since its creation in 2002, stood down to become Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s planning chief.