There are votes for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, along with councils and mayors in some parts of England. Polls are open from 7am to 10pm and you can find your polling station at: https://iwillvote.org.uk/
Voters in England (not Scotland and Wales) will have to prove their identity by showing photo identification at the polling station; details of valid forms of ID can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/photo-id-youll-need
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Usdaw is urging our members to vote today and asking them to support their local Labour candidates, who are committed to delivering change in their communities, like Labour in Government. In just under two years since the general election, Labour has passed the Employment Rights Act, which will deliver a new deal for workers, along with above-inflation increases in minimum wage rates.
“Labour has also moved quickly to protect retail workers from attacks and tackle retail crime, along with additional uniformed police officers patrolling communities and shopping areas. The Crime and Policing Act introduces a new standalone offence for attacking a shop worker and ends the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting theft from shops. We now need Labour councils working with retailers and the police to help make these new measures work in our communities.
“Only a Labour Government, working with trade unions, could have delivered the Employment Rights Act, while the Conservatives and Reform, along with Lib Dem Lords, opposed important changes to help make work pay and jobs more secure. Plaid Cymru tried to block the Crime and Policing Bill in Wales and the SNP has destroyed public services in Scotland, not least the NHS.
“Electing Labour today will help deliver the change we need across the country and in our communities. So, we are asking our members to vote Labour today.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion