Polling stations opened at 7am with voting taking place until 10pm on Thursday night

• What time will we know who won? Guide to the night
• Constituency finder and how boundaries have changed

It is the King’s duty as head of state to appoint a prime minister, and he is travelling from Scotland to Windsor Castle, ready to be on stand-by after being in Edinburgh for Holyrood Week.

The role is one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign, because Charles does not act on advice nor need to consult anyone before doing so.

But the overriding requirement is to appoint someone who can command the confidence of the House of Commons – usually the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats in the Commons – to form a government.

Senior field commander killed in Israeli strike outside southern Lebanese city of Tyre, Reuters reports

Al Jazeera is reporting that “at least four people have been killed and 17 injured in Israeli bombardment in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighbourhood”.

More details soon …