Britain's coalition is braced for its first major public test today as voters go to the polls in the UK’s biggest ever set of elections.
Alongside council contests in much of England, crucial ballots are being held for the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There is also a referendum on switching to the Alternative Vote (AV), and a parliamentary by-election in Leicester South.
Polls suggest the Liberal Democrats could be the biggest losers when counting is finally completed.
Many are predicting that the public will choose to punish deputy prime minister Nick Clegg for a series of policy concessions since joining forces with David Cameron.
The Lib Dem leader could also face an angry backlash from within his own ranks if - as expected - the referendum delivers a resounding No result that would almost certainly end dreams of reform for a generation.
Out campaigning in Leicester yesterday, Mr Clegg admitted that his party faced a “tough time”.
However, he insisted he had “high hopes” that Lib Dem candidates would overcome the odds.
He also played down growing tensions within the coalition over the AV battle, after energy secretary Chris Huhne challenged the prime minister and other senior Tories on the conduct of the No campaign during a cabinet meeting.
"The temperature is rising, feelings are rising high as you would expect at this stage of a referendum campaign," Mr Clegg told BBC Radio 5 Live.
The latest polls suggest the public is not heeding Mr Clegg's pleas. An ICM survey for the Guardian gives the No camp a massive 36-point lead today, while YouGov for the Sun puts the advantage at 20 points.
The blame game appears to have already begun among AV supporters, with Labour former foreign secretary David Miliband claiming the “personality infighting” within the coalition had “got in the way of the issues”.
Labour is expected to pick up significant numbers of council seats at the expense of the Lib Dems and Tories today - although suggestions of more than 1,000 gains have been dismissed as over-optimistic by senior party sources.
However, any success could be marred by events in Scotland, where the SNP and Alex Salmond are seemingly on track to secure a second term in charge.
A No result in the referendum would also be awkward for Mr Miliband, who has been actively supporting a Yes vote.