Labour celebrates victories but loses ground in urban and heavily Muslim areas

Party did better in places it had lost since 2016 but one commentator called it ‘progress at a price’

Labour was celebrating a string of election successes on Friday in a set of results that party officials said showed it heading for victory in the upcoming general election.

Beneath the euphoria of wins in places such as Blackpool, Hartlepool and Thurrock, however, lay a nervousness about the party’s performance in urban areas, with campaigners warning it had lost ground in both London and Birmingham.