Britain's two main parties are tipped to suffer losses Thursday in local elections likely to confirm the rise of hard-right populists and portend the splintering of a century-long political duopoly.

The polls in England are the first since Keir Starmer became Labour prime minister and Kemi Badenoch took over at the helm of the struggling opposition Conservatives last year.

Anti-immigrant Reform UK are expected to make gains, as are the centrist Liberal Democrats and left-wing Greens, confirming a trend that Britain is entering an era of multi-party politics.

"British politics appears to be fragmenting," political scientist John Curtice wrote in the Telegraph this week, adding that Thursday's polls "will likely be the first in which as many as five parties are serious players".

British politics have been dominated by the centre-left Labour party and centre-right Tories since the early 20th century. But last year's general election and recent opinion polls show a shift towards greater pluralism.

Surveys show Britons are disillusioned with the two establishment parties amid anaemic economic........

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