By Daniel Dunford, senior data journalist

There might not be a general election just yet, but there are important votes that will define how the areas around us are run for the next four years. 

See what's happening where you are here:

With a general election looming, what counts as gains and losses for the main parties in next week's locals? 

Sky's election analyst Michael Thrasher tells us what to look out for:

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local election campaign well under way, Labour is still sitting comfortably on a roughly 21-point lead, averaging at 43.5% in the polls, with the Tories on 23.5%.

In third is Reform UK on 12.2%, followed by the Lib Dems on 9.3%.

The Green Party stands at 6.3%, and the SNP on 3.0%.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.

By Beth Rigby, political editor

This was a trip with two aims: to refocus the world's attention on Ukraine and announce a big boost in defence spending - with an eye, of course, on national security, but also on the general election.

When it comes to Ukraine, this was a co-ordinated effort across the Atlantic.

As Rishi Sunak arrived in Berlin, overnight in Washington the US was finally approving a $600m military aid package for Kyiv.

This was all designed to send a message to Russia - allies are in lockstep and will stand behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The prime minister used the Poland leg of the trip to commit the UK to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030, while in Berlin, Mr Sunak announced a formal bilateral security partnership with Germany to deepen co-operation on defence and military manufacturing.

It was all part of his agenda to position himself as a wartime leader, speaking of the UK's defence industry going onto a war footing as Europe stood at a turning point.

"The world we are living in is increasingly dangerous and the axis of authoritarian states are working together to undermine our security," he told his audience in Berlin.

"We need to do more. Germany has done more and we have met the NATO standard [on spending], and you see global defence spending is rising."

Mr Sunak added: "I do believe we will look back at this moment in time and recognise this inflection point, where the old paradigm is no longer the case and we need to adjust for a new paradigm."

Read Beth's full analysis here:

That's all for tonight. 

But make sure to join us again tomorrow - Sophy is heading to Grimsby to discuss why so many people have turned off politics.

There'll be a live audience and new polling laying out the situation in one of our Target Towns, so make sure to tune in at 7pm on Thursday.

By Jennifer Scott, political reporter 

Labour's Angela Rayner has attacked the Conservatives for "obsessing" over her living arrangements while renters continue to face uncertainty over the government's promise to end no-fault evictions.

The party's deputy leader has come under scrutiny over the sale of her former Stockport home before she was an MP, with claims she did not pay the right amount of capital gains tax and may have registered to vote at the wrong address - allegations she denies.

Greater Manchester Police are now looking into the latter issue, which could be a breach of electoral rules, following a complaint from Tory MP James Daly.

But standing in at Prime Minister's Questions on the day the much-delayed Renters' Reform Bill returned to the Commons, Ms Rayner said: "I know this party opposite is desperate to talk about my living arrangements, but the public want to know what this government is going to do about theirs."

Ministers first promised to scrap no-fault evictions - or Section 21s - in April 2019, but agreed to an indefinite delay to outlawing the mechanism after a group of Conservative backbenchers, including some landlords, raised concerns that the courts were not prepared for the legal cases that could replace them.

A new clause being added to the bill by the government today would, if approved, order an assessment of the courts before any ban could be enacted. But it offers no timetable for when the probe would have to take place.

Read more below:

Our panel, Sir Liam Fox and Sunder Katwala, are paying tribute to the late Labour politician.

A notable part of the tributes is the fact they have come from both Labour and Conservative figures.

Mr Katwala says he first came across Lord Field after reading him in university - dubbing him a "one-man thinktank".

Meeting him later showed the Labour stalwart to be a "very kind man" who was "very committed" to his ideas. 

Sir Liam says that you got "Frank the man" and "Frank the politician". 

The first was witty and good company, the latter was a politician who was "very driven by ideas".

The Conservative MP says Lord Field would be "pretty savage" about ideas, but would not make the debates personal.

Mr Katwala says there is an appetite for cross-party working in parliament, and Sir Liam says that a lot of it still goes on - but it is not often seen by the public.

By Tim Baker, political reporter

Frank Field, the former Labour MP and minister, has died at the age of 81.

A statement from his family said: "He will be mourned by admirers across politics but above all he will be greatly missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship."

Lord Field of Birkenhead was asked to "think the unthinkable" to reform welfare by Sir Tony Blair in 1997, but he only lasted a year in the role before clashes with other ministers - including Gordon Brown - saw him return to the backbenches.

Having left the Commons in 2019, Lord Field was later diagnosed with terminal cancer and briefly admitted to hospice care in 2021.

His health had continued to decline, and he swore his oath to the King last year in the House of Lords from a wheelchair.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Field "dedicated his life to being a voice for the most vulnerable" and called his death a "profound loss to politics and to our nation", while former home secretary Priti Patel praised his "unwavering moral compass, commitment to working cross-party and unshakable principles".

Read more below: 

With the local elections just over a week away, deputy political editor Sam Coates explains why they matter and what they might tell us about the upcoming general election.

Sophy returns to her panel, Conservative MP Sir Liam Fox and British Future's Sunder Katwala.

She asks about reforming the housing sector.

Mr Katwala says housing will continue to be on the agenda for likely the next decade - and it's new to see rentals at the centre of the debate.

But he says reforms will always be contested by both sides.

There are also conversations to be had about supply, Mr Katwala adds.

Sir Liam says it's important to make sure renters are protected from being kicked out for no reason, while also ensuring landlords have the confidence they will get a return on their investments.

He adds that it is now down to the Lords to take the bill forward.

Mr Katwala and Sir Liam both acknowledge that there is a generational aspect to the issue, with younger people tending to vote Labour and also being renters, with older people more likely to be landlords and Tory supporters.