Tony Blair, in his last electoral test as British prime minister, saw his Labour Party suffer losses in Scotland and Wales yesterday as results filtered through in local and regional elections. But although opposition parties made some gains in municipal councils in England, the full extent of its loss of support was not clear with many results not expected until later Friday.

Some 39 million voters are having their last say on Blair and his government, which has suffered a polls slump because of opposition to the war in Iraq and a series of scandals that have dogged his administration.

The result will also be the inheritance of Blair's likely successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, and a political barometer ahead of the next general election, which is due by May 2010 at the latest.

In Scotland, the fight to be the largest party in the 129-member Scottish Parliament was a two-way affair between Labour and the Scottish National Party (SNP), which wants an end to the 300-year-old union with England and Wales.

Early results showed a swing towards the SNP, which ousted Labour from key seats in Dundee West and Central Fife, which are both in the backyard of Brown, a Scot.

The SNP also secured a hugely symbolic victory in Glasgow Govan given the area's industrial, shipbuilding past and working-class roots.

As results trickled in, SNP leader Alex Salmond, who won in Gordon, north-east Scotland, predicted Labour would suffer its lowest share of the vote since 1922, striking a blow to support in its traditional heartland.

"There's a wind of change blowing through Scottish politics. That's evident from the results that we've seen so far," he said.

In Wales, where voters were choosing a new 60-seat Welsh Assembly, the party failed to wrest back control of Blaenau Gwent, and lost leafy Cardiff North to the Conservatives.

In England, where about 10,500 seats were up for grabs in 312 councils, it was unclear how much of a victory had been scored by the main opposition leader David Cameron's Conservative Party, despite some significant early gains.

The Conservatives took control of Gravesham council in Kent, which was the last local authority Labour ran on its own in south-east England.

Labour also lost overall control in Blackburn, where former foreign secretary Jack Straw is the British parliament representative. Candidates said Iraq had dogged

them while out campaigning in the largely Muslim area.

Analysts say Labour could lose between 600 and 700 local council seats, while the SNP could grab the lion's share in the devolved Scottish parliament, which has limited powers in areas like health, education and transport.

The Conservatives are trying to secure an electoral bridgehead for their return to power at the national level, which they lost in 1997 to Labour.

They have overtaken Labour in opinion polls since reform-minded Cameron became leader 18 months ago, vowing to transform the party into an electable force capable of challenging Labour for the centre ground.

But they are still struggling to make gains in northern English cities.

Much of Labour's political energy and the country's attention is focused on Scotland because of the SNP's strong challenge and pledge to call a referendum on independence by 2010.

Labour's prospects are better in Wales, where polls and council byelection evidence suggest support for nationalists there may have peaked.

Local polls are being watched with interest on the ground, but in London all eyes are on Blair, who is expected to announce his resignation next week.