The by-election battle in Blackpool South could offer the best guide to the outcome of the general election.Voters have been heading to the polls today in a series of local elections and are seen as the final test of public opinion before Rishi Sunak goes to the country later this year. The Blackpool South constituency is the only Westminster seat being contested and was trigged by the resignation of Tory Scott Benton.He lost the Conservative whip after being embroiled in a lobbying scandal and was subsequently suspended from the House of Commons after being found to be in breach of Commons rules. This led to a recall petition with Mr Benton resigning ahead of its outcome.Nine candidates are vying to win the seat, which Mr Benton won at the 2019 General Election. They include representatives from all the major political parties and Labour is confident of overturning the Tories’ 3,690 majority.That will give the best indication of how Sir Keir Starmer could fare in a national poll. Conservatives will anxiously watch the share of votes the hard-right Reform Party get. If it does well it will spark fears Reform could eat into Tory vote in dozens of seats. Before 2019, Blackpool South had been held by Labour for decades after its creation in 1945 – right up until 1997 when Labour won it.Polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm. Votes cast in the Blackpool South by-election will be counted overnight and the results are expected to be declared in the early hours of Friday morning – by around 4am.Follow our live feed below as all of the latest reaction comes out…LancsLive daily NL sign-up The by-election battle in Blackpool South could offer the best guide to the outcome of the general election.Voters have been heading to the polls today in a series of local elections and are seen as the final test of public opinion before Rishi Sunak goes to the country later this year. The Blackpool South constituency is the only Westminster seat being contested and was trigged by the resignation of Tory Scott Benton.He lost the Conservative whip after being embroiled in a lobbying scandal and was subsequently suspended from the House of Commons after being found to be in breach of Commons rules. This led to a recall petition with Mr Benton resigning ahead of its outcome.Nine candidates are vying to win the seat, which Mr Benton won at the 2019 General Election. They include representatives from all the major political parties and Labour is confident of overturning the Tories’ 3,690 majority.That will give the best indication of how Sir Keir Starmer could fare in a national poll. Conservatives will anxiously watch the share of votes the hard-right Reform Party get. If it does well it will spark fears Reform could eat into Tory vote in dozens of seats. Before 2019, Blackpool South had been held by Labour for decades after its creation in 1945 – right up until 1997 when Labour won it.Polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm. Votes cast in the Blackpool South by-election will be counted overnight and the results are expected to be declared in the early hours of Friday morning – by around 4am.Follow our live feed below as all of the latest reaction comes out…LancsLive daily NL sign-up Lancs Live – NewsRead More