UK votes in local polls dominated by cost-of-living crisis

LONDON (AP) — People in Britain are voting in local elections that will decide the makeup of local authorities across the country — and possibly the fate of embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. Thursday in contests for thousands of local council seats in England, Scotland and Wales.

Voting ends at 10 p.m. (2100GMT), with most of the counting taking place Friday.

Opinion polls suggest the governing Conservatives will lose hundreds of seats in elections that are considered a barometer of public opinion.

The elections are dominated by increasing prices for food and fuel, which have sent household bills soaring.

Opposition parties are demanding the government to do more to ease the cost-of-living crunch.